A Living Nightmare
by PandaTabby
Summary: Avery Mellon is a 14 year old girl who is a huge fan of the three YouTubers Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and H2O Delirious, and her heart's deepest desired wish is to get the chance to meet them all in person. Her dream comes true, but not in the way that she expected, or wanted. Instead of a dream, it's more of a living nightmare.
1. The Players

_**Hey guys! This is probably a story for a fandom you weren't expecting me to write for! Well, uh, it isn't exactly for the actual game. It is, but it isn't.**_

 _ **As you could probably tell by the summary, the YouTubers Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and H2ODelirious are in here! This story also implies Septiplier, and though I regret to say it, H2Ovanoss is not a thing here, though I find it really cute and no matter how many times I tried to find a way to put it in here, I just couldn't figure it out. UGH!**_

 _ **Also, this story was proof-read by AJGaming (TheAwesomeMat), so all the credit doesn't go just to me.**_

 _ **This story is split into 5 parts, and each part will be started and finished within one month, so it will take 5 months to complete. Each part has a different number of chapters, so the publishing schedule will randomize each month. I'll tell you guys what it will be at the start of each new part.**_

 _ **WARNINGS!: strong language, blood and violence, non-proper game play, and other made-up nonsense. (future warnings added)**_

* * *

 **Part One**

 **Start Of Hell**

 **Schedule: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Players**

She was seen as a normal person in public, but when you looked at Avery Mellon's _**(Pronounced like saying mel-lawn)**_ private, at home life, you could feel bad for her. Avery's little brother, Danny, had recently died in a car accident and since then, her parents haven't been the same. Her father, Frank, had become a drunk, and her mother, Mary, was hardly ever home. When Avery's mother _was_ home, she was either asleep or looking for something to distract herself with.

Quite honestly, though, Avery didn't mind as much as most other kids would. She got what she wanted most of the time, and didn't ever blame her parents for the depressing changes. Avery Mellon was 14 ½ and ever since her seven year old brother had died in that car accident with her father's sister (more reason to become a drunk for him), she spent most of her time inside her bedroom, usually on her new laptop. Sometimes all day even. It wasn't that difficult with it only being the middle of June. What Avery did in the time on her computer, was play video games or watch other people play them on YouTube.

The game that Avery played the most was called _Dead By Daylight_ , and she always played at least one round every day. Other than that, Avery didn't play any other horror games at all, but she did _watch_ three other people play them quite often on YouTube. Just three subscriptions was all there was on her account, and she suspected that they were all well known. Although two of them were more than one.

Seemingly famous for claiming the title of "The King of Five Nights at Freddy's" was none other than Markiplier. The almost twenty-seven year old man with dark hair dyed partly red had made a name for himself with that game, and the world seemed to have just gone with it. Avery never missed a new video on his channel, no matter what it was for.

And then there was the Ireland dwelling, green haired, Irish Jacksepticeye, whom practically everyone shipped with Mark. Avery was what most fan-girls would probably call "rare", as she didn't actually ship Septiplier. Not in _that_ way at least. Avery saw Jack and Mark as really cute friends and all, but she couldn't really stand the thought of yaoi, or gay shipping. Though she wasn't really sure why.

And finally, there was the partly psychotic one, H2ODelirious. Avery didn't actually think that he was literally crazy, despite the fact that he said himself that he was psychopathic on his twitter account. Avery liked to believe that H2ODelirious was just crazy when he was playing games, like he was "game crazy" or something like that. Of her three subscriptions, H2ODelirious had played _Dead By Daylight_ the most, and was also the reason she was into it. Now Avery believed she would give almost anything to get the chance to play a game with him, Mark, or Jack.

It was obvious that Avery clearly loved to watch these three YouTubers, because there were several drawings and other pictures of Mark's pink mustache and Septic Sam plastered on every wall in her room, and a plastic mask that matched H2ODelirious' sitting on the corner of her bed along with a shirt for him at the moment. Even if Avery got that one-in-a-trillion chance to play something with any of them, it most likely wouldn't be anything too violent, considering that she was only 14 ½, even though she didn't look it.

Avery had shoulder length, wavy orange hair and bright blue eyes. Her skin had a slight tannish tone to it, and she was nearly 5'3''. Avery's body was also more matured than most other 14 year olds.

But there was also the fact that she started puberty earlier than most kids did.

* * *

Under the darkened sky of L.A., one of Avery's favorite three YouTubers was just getting himself ready to head into bed. Mark Edward Fischbach was just brushing his teeth when his dog, Chica, came padding in. She sat at his feet and looked up at her owner with expectant eyes. Mark looked back down at her for a moment before finishing his current task. Once done, he bent down and scratched her behind the ears, receiving a few face-licks in turn.

Mark smiled at his dog and then stood up again to leave his bathroom, turning off the light behind him as Chica followed behind. Before Mark got to his bedroom, Chica had trotted ahead of him and jumped on his bed, then lay down. She looked back at Mark with an innocent expression. Mark looked back at her.

"Ready before me, are you?" Mark asked her.

Chica lowered her head a little and wagged her tail, as if hearing the slightest noise from Mark made her happy. Mark gave a small chuckle before climbing into bed next to his dog.

* * *

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean, Sean William McLoughlin was still awake in the country of Ireland. Sean, or as everyone called him, Jack, was now setting up his computer in front of his table where he had some extra room for the video he was about to record. As crazy as he might not seem, Jack still did some pretty weird things, like he was now.

Jack started the recording session, which gave him three. . . two. . . one. . .

Jack slapped the air before saying, "Top o' the mornin' to ya, laddies! My name is Jacksepticeye and today I will be doing the helium balloon challenge." Jack finished his intro before pulling a few helium balloons onto the screen.

"You're probably wondering why I'm doing this, but actually Mark dared me ta do it," Jack explained. "Fookin' bastard," he added quietly, half to himself. "Okay, so Mark, Bob, Wade, and I were caught up in a crazy game of Truth-or-Dare during Prop Hunt, and despite myself, I chose dare, so Mark told me ta do this, and now I'm doing it. I hope you're happy Mark!" Jack shouted the last sentence at the camera.

He took one of the balloons from off his table and looked determined, but nervously into the camera.

"Here I go," he said, putting his mouth over the opening of one of the balloons. "This feels weird," he said in his still normal voice before continuing. "I just know that I'm going ta sound really weird because of my accent." He said a moment later, his voice having raised a pitch.

After a few more inhales, Jack's voice had turned extra high-pitched and squeaky, and when he spoke into the camera, he knew what Mark would say about his helium voice. For the next fifteen minutes, Jack continued with his challenge video, saying random things in the helium voice for the humor of it added in with his Irish accent. After a bit of time passed, he began to feel really dizzy.

"Oh, I feel like I'm goin ta pass out," Jack said in a barely normal voice. He practically was, as he had to grab onto his table to hold himself up straight just so he wouldn't fall over. Although, it didn't do him much good, as in the next moment, Jack had passed out and fallen to the floor.

* * *

As Jack lay passed out on his floor, and Mark slept with his dog, someone else was trying to stay awake. Jonathan Dennis was sitting at his computer, talking with his friend Luke, or CaRtOoNz, who was quickly noticing the drop in Jonathan's focus.

"Del, are you okay?" Luke asked, confused.

"What?!" Jonathan jumped back to what he was supposedly doing. "I'm fine, awake." He said, half-consciously.

"You sure?" Luke asked with concern. "Because even though you're wearing your Jason Mask, I'm sure that you look pretty tired." He said.

"I said I'm fine, Luke! Really!" Jonathan exclaimed, actually sounding more awake than he really was. Luke, of course, wasn't convinced, because it was then that Jonathan put the forehead of his mask on the palm of his hand. Jonathan's eyes must have drifted shut, because Luke raised an eyebrow when his friend's head started sliding down his arm. When his head hit the desk, Jonathan cried, "I'm okay!" before trying to straighten himself.

Luke gave a huff of laughter. "Sure you are. You should get some sleep, and I'll talk to you tomorrow. Okay?" He said.

"Okay." Jonathan yawned beneath his mask.

Luke ended the skype call, and Jonathan blinked slowly at his desktop. Jonathan never showed his face to anyone, except for his family and Luke, though on occasion he would wear his mask when talking with his other friends over skype if he was using the video chat instead of keeping his camera covered. He never used a webcam for his YouTube videos, so his face was the only thing that his fans didn't know.

Secretive. Mysterious. And partly psycho. His name made sense in more ways than one, H2O _Delirious_. He was more of a mystery than most people would think.

As this "identity unknown" YouTuber struggled to keep his eyes open, he was slowly letting his head lower onto the surface of his desk. Jonathan's right arm, which had been propped upright, dropped onto his keyboard. It wasn't long before he was finally out, snoring lightly.

* * *

As Mark slept with Chica, Jack lay passed out on his apartment floor, and Delirious was dozing at his computer, Avery herself was just getting ready for bed. Every night she would write in her diary about how she was coping with the loss of her brother, Danny, and parents' depressing actions. But not today, not this time. Avery was writing, for the very first time in her diary, a wish. But not just _any_ wish; her heart's most deepest desired wish. To get the chance to meet them.

 _June 17th, 2016.  
_

 _Today, I have made the decision that I'm going to try to go to the next upcoming con that Markiplier and Jacksepticeye are going to. I so desperately want to meet them in person, and I'll admit that I'm jealous of the fans that already have. From what I've heard, H2ODelirious doesn't go to cons. If he does, then it can't be too often, otherwise I'm sure I'd hear about it.  
_ _I play_ Dead By Daylight _every single day in hopes that I might end up in a round with him. If that ever happened, I would figure out what character he was, and then never leave his side. I hope that doesn't sound too weird.  
_ _I guess I would probably give anything just to get to see Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and H2ODelirious. If there is something that I can do to get to meet them, I would do it. Heh, I guess I'm one of those crazy "will do anything" girls, huh? I feel the same about Danny.  
_ _I would do anything to get my little brother back._

 _-Avery M._

When Avery was finished writing in her entry for the night, she closed and locked the secret keeping book. For a few moments, she held it pressed under her nose with her eyes closed, breathing deeply, wishing with all her might that what she'd written just now would become a goal, and then that goal would get completed.

Avery opened her eyes again and looked down at the light pink fabric cover of her journal. She placed it inside her bedside table drawer, and then clicked off her lamp. She lay down and got herself comfortable under the light blanket and drifted off into an unsuspecting sleep.

Unsuspecting because of what happened next.

Inside the drawer, Avery's diary had started glowing in a magical kind of way **_(sounds cliche, I know)_** and had started vibrating wildly. A white beam shot out from the pink colored book and soared into the blackened night sky, splitting into four separate beams that all flew off in different directions.

One beam turned and went straight back down towards Avery, covering her from head to toe in white light before dispersing into thin air. The same thing happened with the other three beams, which went to Mark, Jack, and Jonathan. Once the beams were gone, nothing seemed to have happened. The four people were just the same as before, but there was one thing that was different.

The question was, what had the beams done?


	2. The Game

_**Hey! Lol, I thought yesterday was Thursday and not Wednesday. I realized that too late, but hey, that just means 3 chapters for the first week!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The Game**

The cold, rotten smelling breeze blew over Mark's face, making him wrinkle his nose from the foul smell. Wait. . . foul smell? Was Chica digging through his trash again? Was her breath on his face? Was it her breath on his face after she'd gone through the trash? Why was the air so cold, then? Mark couldn't make out how or what he felt or smelled, so he blinked open his eyes to see what was going on. But instead of seeing Chica or the wall or ceiling of the bedroom in his face, Mark found that he was looking up into the sky. The sky? What on earth was he doing outside? _How_ did he get outside? Maybe he was just dreaming. . . ?

Mark sat up and looked around him, hoping to get some bearings. He didn't get anything except the fact that he was in some sort of junkyard. There was certainly a lot of scrap metal around, piled up to make a makeshift wall of some sort here and there, and there was an old, rusted, gray truck that was missing the front half nearby. An Auto machine graveyard. Interesting. Yup, definitely a junkyard.

Mark stood up and turned in whacky, uncompleted circles as he looked around him some more. There was nothing familiar about anything around him, and it certainly didn't feel like any kind of dream. Just to be sure, Mark slapped himself hard across the face.

"Ow!" He exclaimed a moment later.

That proved it. This was an auto junkyard, and Mark wasn't asleep, he was awake. Mark had been kidnapped. From his own home? With Chica there? Surely she would defend her master? Well, if Mark had been kidnapped, where was the kidnapper? They didn't seem to care too much if he wandered around at all. Hoping it would help him, Mark started doing just that. Wandering around. If he was lucky, he would find something that would tell him exactly where he was, and maybe even find a way out of here.

As Mark walked through the clumpy, knee-high (to him) grass, he could only confirm more and more that he was in a junkyard, and nothing and nowhere else. When the grass turned to dirt, he thought he saw a flicker of movement nearby. Mark stopped and looked on in the direction he thought he'd seen the movement, but all he saw was a patchy clearing of dirt and grass. There were some more of those walls made from scrap metal and trash surrounding it, but that wasn't what was interesting to Mark. It was the hook that stood against one of the scrap metal walls.

It was weird, seeing a hook that small in a junkyard for auto machines. Especially when it was attached to a stand as short as it was. It almost looked like one of those stands that people were hung by a noose from, only without the high platform. Even if the hook-stand's appearance didn't appeal to Mark, it's strange familiarity did. He couldn't help but think that he'd seen a hook like it before, the only problem was that Mark couldn't think of where he thought he'd seen it before.

The hook was long, black, and dull looking. It didn't have any shine to it, which presented the fact that it must have been really old.

Mark moved away from the clearing and the black hook in search of something else. Of what, he didn't know, but anything useful would do. As he wandered, Mark began to feel uncomfortable about the junkyard he was in. Something was up, and the kind of familiarity that Mark suddenly felt about the place wasn't the good kind.

Suddenly, Mark stopped in his tracks. Around the corner and partly visible over a tall patch of grass was something that Mark quickly recognized. It was dirty and broken, but all the generators start out that way in the beginning. Mark could feel his heart pounding inside his chest. How was it possible? How was he inside a video game? If this was some sort of playground built by some gaming experts, then it was awesome. But still, Mark couldn't help but look around. He didn't know what or who to expect.

Mark didn't know what or who to expect, so he wasn't expecting who he heard screaming somewhere in the distance. The sound of the shriek itself was familiar to Mark, and he started running in the direction of where the scream had come from.

As Mark ran, he felt he was getting closer to where he'd heard him. Then Mark stopped suddenly and looked around over the small piles of litter and abandoned car remnants. All had fallen quiet, and for a moment Mark began to believe he'd just been hearing things. And then he heard footsteps. Running footsteps. _Coming towards him!_

Mark desperately looked around him, and he spotted a shape moving rather quickly towards him. The person was looking behind them as they ran, so they didn't know that Mark was there. Before Mark could get a good look at them. . .

WHAM

The other person ran right into Mark, sending them both tumbling over the ground. When Mark finally managed to stand up, he looked over at the unmoving shape lying on the ground a few feet away from him. His shirt was white and the sleeves went down the other man's elbows, and were colored a dark green. He wore dark gray jeans, and faded blue sneakers. But the part that Mark had immediately noticed, is what stood out from all that the most. His hair; which was a bright green.

Mark ran over to him and turned Jack over and saw his eyes were closed.

"Jack?" Mark whispered, a little confused. "Jack?!" He said again, a little louder. To Mark's relief, Jack stirred and his eyes opened and he looked right at Mark.

"Mark?" Jack asked, sounding very confused.

"Jack!" Mark exclaimed, gasping with relief. Jack sat up slowly and stared at Mark as though he were a ghost. "What?" Mark asked at the look his friend was giving him.

"What are ye doing here?" Jack asked. Mark could hear worry and confusion in Jack's voice.

"What am _I_ doing here? What are _you_ doing here?" Mark said. He fell silent for a moment. "What are _we_ doing here?" He added, looking around.

"Well," Jack started looking around as well. "I think we're dead or something." Mark looked at him quickly, his brow furrowed.

"Why would you think that?" He asked.

"I did tha helium thing ye told me ta do," Jack began explaining. "But I think I inhaled too much helium. I started ta feel really, like, super duper dizzy and then everything went all hazy. The last thing I remember is passing out and then. . . waking up here." Jack looked up at Mark with total confusion in his eyes.

"Well, unless Chica somehow killed me in my sleep, I don't see how I'm dead," Mark said.

"Well, then what _do you_ think we are?" Jack demanded.

Mark looked around once more before answering. "I think we're inside the video game _Dead By Daylight._ "


	3. Meeting Avery

_**So, now things are starting to get a little confusing. I've gone back and repeated a few scenes, but they're from a different point of view, so don't skip over them at all if you're one of those people. :P**_

 _ **How will Jack react to the situation in this chapter?**_

* * *

It was cold, and Jack couldn't understand why. He slowly blinked open his eyes and found that he was lying on a dirty, hard wooden floor. He was lying on his front side, so he could see the collapsed ramp of the once-upper floor of the old building he was in. The last thing Jack remembered was passing out. Oh god. Was he _dead_?!

 _If I'm dead,_ Jack thought, sitting up and looking around. _What kind of heaven or hell is this? Which is it, even?_

Jack stood and started climbing up the collapsed floor, hoping that he would be able to see something helpful from a higher point of view. What he found was something he wasn't expecting. He quickly recognized it as one of the generators from that game, Dead By Nightfall or something, and only confirmed a little more that he was dead.

 _I must be in hell, then_ , Jack thought. It wasn't a pleasant thought, and he hated admitting it had to be true, but there wasn't any other reason he could think of.

Jack knew how to play the game, but he left the generator and went back downstairs and then left the house to have a look around. He wanted to explore a bit, and if he knew the game, then he knew that there were always at least three other players or sometimes two. If he was thinking right, then he should be able to find at least one person wandering the map. It was then that Jack realized something; would this "hell" tell him where the others were if they were caught or a generator was fixed? What if he was caught? The only thing Jack could do right now, was look. For what? Anything.

As Jack wandered around randomly, he began to feel uncomfortable. It wasn't just because of the eerie feeling to the place, it was because he felt like there was someone following him. Jack stopped and looked around, and then he saw them; another person. They were still quite a distance away, but Jack could make out the color blue. Jack started towards them, but then he heard the sound of a clanging bell. Jack looked quickly in the direction of the noise and saw the monster, which had also seen him, and bolted from the spot, screaming loudly as he ran away from The Wraith. He knew enough about the game to know that the killer with the bell was called The Wraith, and he also knew that they could turn invisible. Jack looked behind him for the monster, and saw it was running off in another direction entirely. But Jack, even though he was running, caught a glimpse of that other person he'd seen earlier. Jack could only hope that they had escaped, because they disappeared behind a mound of trash, The Wraith running after them.

Jack didn't stop running. He knew that he could stop, now that he was safe, but he didn't want to stop. Not until he couldn't run anymore. Jack looked behind him once more, still not stopping. He didn't think he would have to until he ran into something. Or. . . some _one_.

Jack crashed into the other person and went tumbling over the ground. His head hit the ground hard enough to stun him and he lay still for a moment, dazed and trying to catch his breath. There was a muffled voice, and Jack guessed that his hearing had been turned all fuzzy. He heard it again, but this time it sound clearer. Was it just him, or had the voice said "Jack"?

It was then that Jack realized he'd been turned over, so he opened his eyes and looked up at the other person. Now he was really confused.

"Mark?" Jack asked. How was Mark here? _Why_ was Mark here? Maybe he was there because Jack wanted him to be.

"Jack!" Mark gasped with relief at the sound of Jack's voice. Jack sat up and stared at Mark. "What?" Mark said.

Mark would have said something explaining what was going on by now if he was here only because Jack had wanted him to be and was a figment of his imagination. But Jack couldn't recall thinking of Mark at all since he'd woken up here.

"What are ye doing here?" Jack asked the Markiplier illusion in front of him.

"What am _I_ doing here?" Mark sounded utterly confused at the question. "What are _you_ doing here?" Mark fell silent and Jack just kept staring at him. "What are _we_ doing here?" Mark looked around.

Jack looked around as well, as though trying to figure out what Mark was looking for. "Well, I think we're dead or something." Jack blinked at how quickly Mark's head swiveled around to look at him.

"Why would you say that?" Mark asked. Jack was beginning to wonder the same thing.

"I did tha helium thing ye told me ta do," Jack said. "But I think I inhaled too much helium. I started to feel really, like, super duper dizzy and then everything went all hazy. The last thing I remember is passing out and then. . . waking up here." Jack looked up at Mark. Wherever _here_ is, he added to himself.

"Well, unless Chica somehow killed me in my sleep, I don't see how I'm dead," Mark said.

It was then that Jack realized that _he_ wasn't dead, either, which was a huge relief. But that meant that this was the real Mark, wearing his black "King of the Squirrels" t-shirt and tan, knee length shorts and black sneakers. Then there was always the red hair. But if they weren't dead. . .

"Well, then what _do you_ think we are?" Jack demanded.

Mark looked around once more before he answered, "I think we're inside the video game _Dead_ _By_ _Daylight_." Mark looked back at Jack, worry expressed in his eyes.

Jack's eyes widened. Not with shock or fear, but with confusion. Inside a game? Either Mark was nuts or Jack was the one going crazy. Or it was just the helium talking. But still! _Inside a game?!_ That wasn't possible! . . . Was it? No, the world's technology couldn't be _that_ developed yet.

"What do you mean we're inside a video game, Mark? Have you lost it?!" Jack exclaimed.

"What have you seen so far, Jack?" Mark asked.

Jack had to think about that. The collapsed shed, the generator, small piles of scrap metal and trash here and there, rusted cars. They all came from that one map in the game _Dead By Daylight_ , only, how was it that that had happened? Jack didn't want to let himself admit that Mark was right, but that was mostly due to the fact that he couldn't quite comprehend how all of this was happening. Or why it was happening.

* * *

Mark was still waiting for an answer from Jack, who couldn't seem to realize what he'd asked. Mark was patient in this case, though. He knew that Jack was confused about all of this, because he was, too. It was a little concerning when Jack made the claim that he thought he, or they, were dead. If they _were_ dead, then this was definitely hell. But Mark knew that they weren't dead. He and Jack were both still clearly alive. But if they didn't do anything soon, they may not be that way for much longer.

"I hate ta say you might be right, not that I can understand _how_ ," Jack said at last.

Mark thought about this. "It could be a joke of some sort," He suggested. Jack looked at him.

"How can we prove that?" He asked.

Mark looked around, then he pointed at a broken down crane nearby. "One of us could jump off of that," He said. Jack stared at him. "If we walk away from it unhurt, then this is the actual game, and it would mean that we're inside it." Mark explained.

"Yer crazy," Jack said after he'd had a moment to process this plan. Mark shrugged. "All right," Jack said. "but yer doing it."

Mark obliged and stood, Jack did the same and followed Mark. The crane was clearly broken, rusted, and obviously no longer operational, but it still worked as an escape route from the killer. Jack watched nervously from the ground as Mark appeared at the highest point that he could reach, which was just behind the neck, and was almost twenty feet up. The plan made perfect sense, as you could jump off the top of the run-down buildings in _Dead By Daylight_ and land on the ground without a single scratch. But that didn't exactly mean that it wasn't scary. Jack could see Mark looking down at him nervously, as though he knew how stupid this was. Which, most likely, he did.

Mark moved back a few steps and hesitated the first few times he went to jump. Then, Mark suddenly threw himself off the machine and fell to the ground, landing on his head. A fall like that _should_ have broken his neck, killing him instantly, but when Mark _stood up_ unfazed, it became clear what their situation was.

They were inside a video game.

Crap.

Now that Mark and Jack knew for sure that they were inside the horror survival game, they also knew what to do. Fix the generators and escape, beating the game. It was that Mark and Jack were thinking the same thing that they didn't need to say anything to each other, as they both started heading off in the same direction. Jack was actually following Mark, as he seemed to know where he was going. Mark was heading towards that other generator he'd seen earlier, and once he and Jack reached it, they didn't actually know how to fix it.

"Should we just try random things and hope they'll work?" Jack asked.

"That's a great way to make it explode and alert the killer as to where we are." Mark pointed out.

"Well then what do you suggest we do?" Jack demanded.

Mark put his hand on his chin in thought. As he studied the generator, Jack heard something nearby.

"Mark?" Jack looked around nervously. He hoped that it was just another person and not the monster.

"Hmm?" Mark said, not taking his eyes off the broken machine.

"I think there's someone nearby," Jack said, looking at Mark with an expression full of fear.

At this, Mark looked at Jack, and then around. When he saw nothing, he said "Maybe it was just shifting trash?" He sounded unsure. Even Mark was looking at the surrounding area nervously, now. Then, both Mark and Jack jumped at a loud crashing noise nearby. To Mark, it came from the direction that the hook he'd seen earlier was. To Jack, it just came from that particular direction, as he didn't know that the hook was there. Mark looked at Jack, and Jack looked back at Mark. They must have had the same idea, because the two of them started making their way slowly towards the location of the sound without saying a word. When Mark saw the hook, he grabbed Jack and pulled him behind one of the small scrap metal piles.

Jack, suddenly curious as to what it was all about, poked his head around the side to look into the clearing. There was someone in it, and they were attempting to tear down a hook.

"Hey!" Jack called out to them suddenly. They whipped around in his direction, but before Jack was seen, Mark pulled him back.

"Are you crazy?!" Mark whispered loudly at Jack, his face crazy with fear.

"Relax," Jack said. "It was just another person. If it had been the monster, I would have said so!" Jack whispered harshly back to Mark, who seemed to calm down a little.

"Hello?" the person in the clearing called. The voice was female."Is anyone there?" she called out once more, trying to find who'd shout before.

Jack looked back around the corner at the person. Standing in the clearing was a _girl_. She looked around sixteen or so, and had long orange hair. After a few more seconds, the girl shrugged and went back to tearing down the hook. She was wearing blue-jeans and a pink shirt, but that was all Jack could make out. He looked back at Mark, who merely stared at him. Then, Jack stood up and made his way into the clearing.

"Hey," He called again as the girl finally took the hook down. She looked up at Jack's voice, and her eyes widened. She dropped the hook, but didn't go to pick it up. Jack stopped. He raised his hands slowly to show he meant no harm, as he thought he'd just done something wrong. Jack glanced to the sides, and then behind him at Mark, who was peering around the pile in puzzlement. He understood this as much as Jack did then, apparently. When Jack looked back at the girl, he saw she hadn't moved, except for her mouth, which was now open slightly.

"Uh, are you. . . okay?" Jack asked, dropping his arms to his sides again and looking at the girl in concern.

"Yeah!" she squeaked, a grin forming on her face.

Jack tried not to look aghast. She'd just squeaked. Was she sure she was alright? Then, out of nowhere, she started freaking out, curling her hands into fists and shaking them wildly in front of her shoulders. Jack was a little startled by the look of pure joy on her face. The girl put her hands on her forehead and started talking to herself.

"No way! I'm meeting Jacksepticeye! This is incredible!" she was saying.

Oh, so she was a fan. That explained her stunned silence and the squeak earlier. She was _excited_. It was then that Mark came out and stood next to Jack. The girl's expression turned to shock.

" _And_ Markiplier!?" she almost shrieked.

Yup, definitely a fan.

As Jack and Mark watched the girl get a hold of herself, they also looked around for any sign of the killer. Finally, the girl was calmed down enough to talk properly.

"Sorry, sorry," she apologized, breathing deeply. "I'm just so excited to be meeting you guys!" she said excitedly. Her voice raising a pitch or two as jumped up and down a little. Jack was startled by how mature her voice suddenly sounded when she said, "Although, I wouldn't say that the circumstances right now are too great." She fell silent and looked at the ground for a moment, picked up the hook and approached Mark and Jack.

"Hi, I'm Avery. Sorry about that whole thing I was doing. It's just that I'm a really big fan! I mean, I can't think of a single video on either of your channels that I haven't watched," Avery said, almost casually. Jack and Mark shared a sideways glance with each other. Avery looked between the two of them before her shoulders slumped. She lowered her head and gave a huff of nervous laughter. She lifted her head again suddenly and said, "You have no idea of what's going on, do you?"

Mark opened his mouth to reply, but it was several seconds before he finally said, "No." and let his head drop, his lips puckered weirdly.

To Jack's surprise, Avery smiled.

"Come on, I'll explain everything back at the hideout." She said.

"Hideout?" Jack repeated, puzzled. He wasn't aware of any "hideout" on any of the maps in _Dead By Daylight_ other than the closets.

"Yeah, I've discovered that it's the one place that the monster, or in this case, The Wraith can't go." Avery explained.

"Oh, so, it's like a safe point?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, basically." Avery nodded.

Deciding that they should give Avery a chance and trust her, Mark and Jack followed her to this hideout.


	4. Avery's Plan

_**Some of the things in this chapter might seem a little cliche or coincidental, and if they do, sorry.**_

* * *

Avery awoke with a start. Her eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright at a loud _caw_. She saw a crow flying away in a panic, trying to get away from her as it probably thought that she'd been dead or something. Hold on. What was a crow doing in her bedroom? Wait another moment. This wasn't Avery's bedroom; it was a junkyard, and to Avery, it wasn't just _any_ junkyard, it was _the_ junkyard. Autohaven Wrecker's, and Avery recognized it from what she saw around her.

The hook, the generator, and the walls built from crushed together scrap metal and other trash. She played _Dead By Daylight_ so much that she would recognize anything from the game. And in the game, there were several things that a single player could do; destroy hooks, fix generators, disarm traps, save other players, and escape. As it happened, Avery had spawned in right next to a generator and one of the hooks that the monster used to hang the players. But without a toolbox, Avery couldn't see how she would be able to sabotage it, but decided to at least look it over. To Avery's surprise, she found that the hook's design was different from the game's original design for it.

The hook was being attached to the stand by a strap or binding of some sort, which was sealed with a clip. One that Avery could easily undo. There was just one problem. She couldn't reach up that high. Looking around for something of advantage, Avery spotted a small pile of tires and climbed onto it, carefully made her way across the top of the trash wall over to the hook, and slid across the top of that to the end, where she could easily dismantle it.

Avery fumbled with the clip, until she finally got it undone, and then let it fall to the ground before she unbound the strap. The hook fell to the ground, landing with a soft _thunk_ , and Avery jumped down with it. She picked up the item and went over to the generator and examined the broken machine. The game had been designed so that all of the characters just happen to know how to fix the machines, but Avery had absolutely no clue how to do that. She examined the machine for a minute or two, taking note of the bent or twisted parts and cut wires. The wires were colored, so she could only guess that they were supposed to be attached. Carefully, Avery took two ends of wire, both colored blue, and started to twist them together so that they made one whole wire. To her relief, it didn't explode or anything, but a very quiet rumbling began emitting from the generator. Excited, Avery tried doing the same thing with the other sets, and then went to tinker with the bent and twisted parts.

She straightened what she could, and found that there were some things that needed tightening. It wasn't long before Avery suddenly realized that she was being timed on each piece. Luckily, she was able to get the generator running without any mishap.

"One generator down," she said. "Only . . . how many are left?"

Avery didn't know if she was the only one there, but if this was a dream, it was likely that she only needed to fix a small number of generators before she would be able to escape. Leaving the generator behind her, Avery picked up the hook and started off in search of more. As she walked, she noticed something unfamiliar ahead of her. Its outline was a bit lumpy, and Avery hadn't seen anything like it on this map before. Curious, Avery started towards it, the outline becoming more clear as she got closer. Eventually, as Avery moved towards it, the structure's details became clear. It was a tree.

Not just _any_ tree, though. It was a large, thick trunked, tall oak tree, and judging by the deep, dark green color of the many hundreds of leaves that covered the branches, the tree was very healthy. It seemed a little odd, considering with every breath that Avery took, the smell of rusted scrap metal filled her nose, and there also wasn't any water around. On _any_ of the maps in _Dead By Daylight_.

When Avery came to the base of the trunk, she saw that there was also a treehouse built up high in the branches. This was not on the junkyard map, and Avery was starting to think that this was no dream. Her mind knew what was and what wasn't inside the game, unless it was playing tricks on her of course.

Shrugging, Avery started looking for a way up, and she found it on the other side of the tree, and also noted how it was growing in one of the corners of the map. The way up to the treehouse was inside the tree itself. There was an opening big enough for an adult to fit through, but small enough to keep the one unwanted visitor on the map out.

Slipping through the gap, Avery found a ladder nailed into the inner tree, leading up to the treehouse. She held the hook tightly in her hand and started climbing. The ladder was shorter than it looked. When Avery came to the top, she had to push open a trapdoor to get inside.

The treehouse gave its first impression as roomy.

The room where Avery came out was large, probably around about 50 square feet or so, and it only seemed bigger because it was totally empty. Then there was a smaller split-off section that went a little higher up. There were three or four steps going up to it, and then there was another ladder going up to the roof in the center of the smaller room. All-in-all, the smaller section looked to be about a meter on each side, so about 9 square feet. There was only one window, which was in the wall facing the rest of the junkyard. The walls were painted red, although the color was fading and scratched away in places, and the beams in the corners and framing the open gap of a window were a dark brown.

Avery found two small sheets of paper pinned to one of the walls, and one of them was a note that explained some of what was going on. She didn't really like what it said too much, but then again, she was only dreaming. Right? The other note had the number ten written on it, and below that was a single tally mark.

Avery placed the hook she was still holding in the corner opposite of the trapdoor and went to climb the other ladder. The roof was entirely flat, but the point where Avery came out was right next to a thick branch that stretched out almost entirely straight. Avery climbed out onto it, eager to discover more about this fascinating safe point. The large bridge-like branch had small branches jutting out here and there that Avery could easily use for support as she slowly walked over the formation.

When Avery stopped walking at last and looked out over the junkyard, she could only imagine how amazing the view would be if it was of something other than Autohaven Wrecker's. She was overlooking the junkyard, seeing if she could spot another generator anywhere, but instead she saw a few hooks. There was about two or three of them nearby, and Avery knew that dismantling as many as possible would give her a much better chance of escape.

Avery turned to head down and collect the hooks, but her foot slipped and she fell from the tree. It happened so suddenly and was over so quickly that she didn't get the chance to scream.

Avery opened her eyes again a few seconds later, but instead of on her bed where she'd expected to find herself, Avery was still in the junkyard. Normally, the moment she hit the ground, she would have woken up at home. And then it hit her.

 _This was no dream_. _This_ was real. _This_ was _Dead By Daylight_ , and Avery was _inside_ the game.

Panic and wonder arose inside of Avery as she got to her feet again. She was panicking because she knew she could die in this game. She had done so loads of times before, but now Avery didn't think that she would be able to keep "playing" if she was killed _this_ time. The wonder that Avery felt was for how this was happening. How was she inside a video game? She wasn't too confused as to why she was still alive after falling what looked like thirty or forty, even fifty feet down, but that wasn't because the game was programmed for a player to die or even get hurt if they jumped or fell from high up.

If Avery was really inside the game, she needed to get her game mode going and start "playing" by the rules. And make her chances of survival greater.

At this thought, Avery ran off in the direction of one of the hooks that she'd seen. When she reached it, she immediately jumped up and grabbed onto it. She hung there for a moment before swinging her legs back and forth until she was able to get them over the top beam. Avery pulled on the hook with one hand while she tried to rip apart the binding holding it in place. It was another few seconds before Avery remembered that there was a clip and went to undo it. She took it off and the hook started to swing slightly as the binding loosened. Avery grabbed one end of the binding and then jumped off.

The moment she landed on the ground, taking the binding with her, the hook fell to the ground with its deep-sounding _thunk_. Avery turned around and was surprised at how light the hook felt. She hadn't seemed to notice the weight of the first one. Throwing the strap piece and clip into a nearby pile, Avery left the post hookless and took the hook with her as she went to dismantle another.

There was a rock next to the next hook she found, so she just stood on that to remove the clip and binding. Once the pointy, black hook fell to the ground, Avery tossed aside the clip and binding, jumped down from the rock, and then picked up the two hooks from the dirt and started heading back to the treehouse. She dumped them with the other hook in the treehouse before heading out again. She looked around for a while before she found another hook, and was starting to think that this was too easy, but she still needed to figure out how to dismantle it. They hung about eight feet off the ground, so Avery couldn't quite reach it. It didn't matter how tall you were, you'd always be hanging above the ground by your shoulder on one of this hooks if you were ever caught and didn't escape in time.

As Avery tried to figure out a way to get the threatening object down from its stand, she kept an eye out for any sign of the monster. Finally, Avery came up with an idea.

She jumped up and grabbed the hook like she had the second one, and then started swinging her legs into the same position. When she was safely secure on the beam, Avery then started gripping the hook higher up until her hands were also on the beam. Then Avery pulled herself around so that she was laying on top of the stand and got to work undoing the clip and pulling off the binding. When the hook had fallen, Avery jumped down again and picked it up off the ground.

That's when she heard the scream.

Avery looked in its direction with wild eyes before gripping the hook tightly in her hand and running as fast as her legs could carry her towards the other person. After Avery had traveled quite a distance, she stopped, panting. She looked around wildly, searching for the person who had screamed. Were they on a hook? Or had they just been found by whatever monster was roaming the map with them? All Avery saw was a quick moving blue blur before it disappeared. She saw something else running after it, and quickly realized that it was the monster.

"The Wraith," Avery breathed the name when she heard a very faint roar.

Avery started to head after them to help that other person when she saw more movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked over, but didn't see anything. Suddenly not knowing which direction to go, she went randomly, heading towards the point between the two spots instead. It took a while before she reached it, and then Avery started in the direction of the small movement.

Avery suddenly spotted another hook and looked over. It was placed in a clearing that was patchy with small sections of tall grass, and some stray pieces of trash that was littered over the dirt as well. Getting suddenly excited, Avery charged over and partly ran through a mound of the common waste, sending some of the broken, bent, and rusted metal tumbling down the small heap, causing a loud crashing sound to echo slightly over this part of the map.

But Avery ran over to the hook without stopping, and the first thing she noticed about it was how much lower it seemed to be. Avery could just about reach the clip if she stood on her toes, and then she realized that it was because the hook's stand had been sunken into the ground a little. Either way, as long as Avery was able to tear it down, she wasn't worried too much about it.

"Hey!" someone cried out suddenly as Avery got the clip off.

She spun around to look for the speaker, but Avery saw no one.

"Hello?" she called, looking around some more. "Is anyone there?" she tried again, but still nothing happened. Avery shrugged and went back to taking the hook down. She tossed aside the clip and undid the binding and grabbed the hook before it could fall and let the binding reach the ground.

"Hey," the voice from before spoke again, and Avery looked up, and gasped.

Standing just feet away from her was Jacksepticeye!

* * *

"Wow! I didn't realize that this was here before!" Mark exclaimed when they arrived at the tree.

"That's because it isn't," Avery said, showing Markiplier and Jacksepticeye the entrance to the tree. "I think that it's only here for our case," Avery explained.

"Oh," said Mark, sounding just slightly disappointed.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Mark. I've played this game a lot and I would know if this was actually here." Avery went through the gap and started climbing up into the treehouse.

Jack went in after her, as Mark was still gaping at the massive, magnificent tree standing in front of him. When he realized that he was the only one still on the ground, he went inside after Jack and Avery in time to catch a glimpse of Jack just disappearing over the edge of the trap door. He climbed up the ladder and crawled into the roomy treehouse.

"Wow, this place looks bigger on the inside," he commented.

"You can't actually see the whole thing from the ground, but yes, it is bigger than I thought it would be when I first discovered it not too long ago, that's for sure." Avery explained, hoping she wouldn't end up disappointing Mark to much and upset him.

"So, just to make things clear," Avery began. "Do either of you know what we have to do?" she asked Mark and Jack.

"Beat the game, obviously," Jack stated.

"Easier said than done," Mark added.

"Yes, and the players almost always get separated," Avery said.

Mark and Jack looked at each other. "What's your point?" they asked at once, turning back to Avery.

Avery had to hold back a laugh. "If any of us get separated, we should come back here. You can find the treehouse if you can find the Blood Lodge," Avery explained.

"The small house that's falling apart?" Mark asked.

"Yes," Avery confirmed. "but I fear that won't always be as easy as we might think. I have the right to believe that every single area on the Autohaven Wrecker's map has been combined into one, meaning that there is a lot of ground here. And with that, there will likely be fewer generator's, making it harder to find them and we'll have to travel across the entire map to find the number we need." she said.

"How many do ya think we need ta repair?" asked Jack. "It's usually four or five, depending on the number of players in a round."

Avery shook her head. "My guess is that since all the maps are spawned into one, we'll have to fix more than five. In fact, I know how many we need to repair, and that number is ten," she explained grimly.

Mark's mouth dropped open, and Jack exclaimed, "Ten generators?!" he looked aghast.

"Ten." Avery repeated, though she wasn't sure she was helping to calm the two adults down at all.

It was a while before any of them spoke again, and it was Mark who broke the silence.

"Does anyone happen to know why we're here?" he looked between Jack and Avery.

Jack didn't say anything.

"I don't know why or how, but like Jack had said," Avery adjusted her sitting position. "We have to beat the game to get out of it."


	5. A Delirious Experience

_**And finally . . . Delirious enters the fray. About time that maniac showed up. :P**_

* * *

Delirious felt something cold and hard against his back, and was puzzled by how much it felt like metal. That couldn't be right. . . His desk chair was made of wood. Maybe he'd fallen to the floor? No, that didn't make sense either. He blinked open his eyes and saw a plastic-like white material directly in front of his face. For a second, Delirious thought he'd been kidnapped or something, until he realized that it was his mask, which was just crooked. He straightened it so that he could see, and then sat up, turning his head slowly in either direction to look around.

Where exactly he was, Delirious had no idea, but it looked to be an abandoned, broken vehicle. A bus, Delirious now realized, that had been torn in half and was left here to rust and fall apart. But there was something oddly familiar about the way the bus itself looked, the way the two halves were pressed against each other's side, and even the surrounding area gave Delirious the creeps. Then Delirious suddenly knew where this was from. He and a few of his friends had run all over it as a joke during one of their rounds in _Dead By Daylight._ Only to confirm that this was that very horror survival game was the long black hook that stood several feet away, next to the decaying school bus. A few piles of old tires sat behind it, and there was some other scrap metal trashed across from it.

Delirious flew to his feet and started looking around frantically. This was _Dead By Daylight._ The killer could be anywhere, so he needed to watch his back. But what Delirious couldn't comprehend was what was actually going on at the moment. Was this real? Or was he dreaming?

"It's just a dream," Delirious told himself suddenly, backing up slowly. He felt himself calm a little at the words. "Yeah, that's it," he said. "This is nothing but a dream, and there isn't anything you need to worry about, Delirious. Nothing to-WHOA!" Delirious suddenly fell backward, landing on the ground with a soft _thud_. He'd reached the front of the bus, the left half of which was missing, and had gone over the edge of it.

"Get a hold of yourself, Delirious. You're fine," Delirious mumbled to himself, standing up again.

Now that Delirious had convinced himself he was dreaming, he went to have a look around. He kind of wanted to explore a little of the area, though he'd been there before, but considering the fact that he was who he was, there could be something different. Delirious looked around for a moment, feeling eager to check out what was what. He started walking and passed another hook, which looked creepier from the angle he saw it before looking away and continuing his march. It was when he saw the Blood Lodge that Delirious got excited. He wasn't sure why, but he guessed that it was because he could now get higher up and have a slightly better look around the place.

Delirious was just heading over to it when he saw something and quickly ducked behind a small pile of trashed metal and tires. He peeked out over the top and held in a startled yelp. Trudging just feet away from him, with blood covered feet and armed with the skull and spine sword, was The Wraith. Delirious was about to turn around as The Wraith lifted his weapon when he heard someone scream.

 _I can't leave them!_ Delirious thought suddenly. He climbed onto the pile of trash he was hiding behind. "Hey, weirdo!" he shouted. Delirious caught sight of someone else running in the opposite direction, away from the scene, but The Wraith was no longer interested in them, it would seem, as it was now charging towards Delirious.

"Oh shit!" Delirious exclaimed, now realized the immediate danger he was in.

Delirious bolted, but The Wraith stayed behind him, and Delirious could hear the grunting roars that it made as it pursued him. Quickly, Delirious leaped aside in a random direction, managing to get behind another small pile of trash just as his pursuer swung its weapon. The blade embedded into the skull's jaw scratched the pile, slicing some of it up, but Delirious hadn't stopped running. He was still going, and sure enough, when he looked behind him, The Wraith was still following after. At least that other person had escaped. But now Delirious had the problem of doing the same. The Wraith was catching up to him as Delirious was now beginning to tire.

There was one thing about _Dead By Daylight_ that made it slightly unfair, and that was the running speed. But Delirious had no restrictions on anything, it would seem, so he started sprinting as fast as he as could, pulling ahead of the killer chasing him. He thought he'd get away for a moment, until he ran past a rusted truck. There was a bit of metal on the front jutting outwards, and Delirious ran right into it. He fell forward, rolling over the ground for several feet, and then he felt something cut his arm. As Delirious scrambled to his feet again, he saw his sweater sleeve had been torn, and blood was oozing out from a fresh scratch. The horrifying realization dawned on him, and Delirious ran even faster away from The Wraith.

"THIS IS NO DREAM, DELIRIOUS! IT'S REAL! THIS IS _NOT_ A DREAM!" Delirious shouted at himself as he ran.

He spotted a section of walls built from trash and scrap metal crammed together, and made his way towards it. The Wraith followed. Delirious jumped over one of the lowered sections and circled around the next wall. He could hear his heart pounding quickly in his chest, and his breath was uneven from running.

But Delirious stilled his breath the best he could when he heard the monster's footsteps on the other side of the wall. His eyes were wide with fright, and he gulped at the sight of the red glow that it emitted from its white eyes. Delirious scrambled to get around the wall and silently climbed back over the window gap before quickly getting away from the area. He went as quietly as he could, careful not to run, in case he still made chicken-scratch. Once he was sure he was a safe distance away, Delirious ran once more until he had to stop.

He leaned up against one of the thick birch trees to catch his breath. Once he could breath again, Delirious pushed up his sleeve to look at the scratch. Blood has stained the blue fabric of his sleeve, and the cut itself was turning dark red, now. Delirious rolled his sleeve back down and looked around. If this was real, which it appeared it was, then that meant that there were other people around as well. After all, Delirious had just saved one of them. Maybe they would be able to help. All Delirious had to do was find them. If that was possible.

He carefully started sneaking around the grove of trees, listening for anything that would tell him something or someone was nearby. He wasn't actually paying attention to where he was walking, and almost tripped over a long, wooden box. Looking around once more to be sure that there was no threat nearby, Delirious bent down and opened the lid and started rummaging through the chest. He found a flashlight, which he slid into his sweater pocket before leaving the box behind him.

Delirious walked for a while, before he found himself back where he started; at the school bus. He looked at it silently, as though wishing it could get him out of here, and then realized that there was something different about it. After a quick examination, he realized that the hook that had been next to the dead vehicle was now gone. Delirious froze. Were they still around?

"H-Hello?" Delirious called out, looking around him slowly. "Is a-anyone there?" he started to think that the person may have been here ages ago and had left already.

Then Delirious saw movement and dove behind the bus, peering through one of the empty windows to see what it was. He couldn't find the movement again, though, and thought he was seeing things. The Delirious suddenly heard the clanging bell and ducked out of sight quickly. It went on for several minutes, and then it faded into the distance. Once Delirious was sure that the Wraith was gone, he came out of hiding and started towards where it had attacked.

"Jack? Avery!" a voice called out.

Delirious started his approach more cautiously, unsure if it was safe to suddenly appear in front of this stranger. It fell quiet for a few moments before Delirious could hear strange clicking noises. He suddenly realized that this other person was repairing a generator. He found where the generator was, and paused at a window. There was another man already at the generator, but his back was turned, so he didn't even know Delirious was there.

Delirious didn't want to startle the guy, since that would likely cause the generator to explode, alerting the killer as to where they were. Then, Delirious had a sudden idea. He scraped his foot over the ground, and to his luck, the man stopped what he was doing and slowly stood up, looking around.

"Jack?" the man said cautiously.

"Uh, hello?" Delirious didn't exactly know who this "Jack" was, but he needed the other guy to see him.

The moment Delirious had spoken, the man spun around a little too quickly, it would seem, as he fell to the ground. "Holy shit!" he cried when Delirious spoke.

"Oh, I apologize! I didn't mean to scare you!" Delirious apologized quickly.

It took a moment before the other man caught his breath again and was able to stand up once more.

"That's alright. I thought you were the thing," he said. "Now I just see you're the other person."

" _The_ other person?" Delirious repeated.

"Yeah, Avery said there was likely to be a fourth person running around. I guess that's you," the man explained.

"Oh," Delirious said before asking, "Who's Avery?"

"Someone I'm sure you'll meet soon enough." The man assisted Delirious over the gap in the wall and then held out his hand. "Name's Mark," he said.

Delirious took it. "Delirious," he said, not sure if he should give his real name or stage name.

"Nickname?" Mark guessed.

"YouTube," Delirious corrected.

"Oh, well in that case," Mark started, "I'm Markiplier."

It was a moment before Delirious asked "So, what exactly is going on here?"

Mark put his hands on his waist and looked around. "I don't have a very clear idea myself, but I know that Avery can explain some things when you two get met up," he said.

Delirious didn't really know what to say to this, so instead he asked "Need some help?"

"What? Oh," Mark quickly remembered the generator. "Do you know how to fix one?" he asked, crouching down next to the machine.

"No. . ." Delirious admitted, getting down on the other side.

"Do you see the colored wires? You have to reattach them together in the colored pairs." Mark explained. "There are also some loose pieces we want to to tighten and others that need straightening," he finished.

"Sounds complicated," Delirious commented, replacing a yellow wire.

"But surprisingly easier done," Mark added. "Oh, and watch out, there's a timer with each wire and piece." Mark warned.

Delirious nodded, though he wasn't sure if Mark had seen it. He started noticing the timers, and was sure to be finished with whatever he was doing before they ran out. Finally, a bright light flashed on above them, and Delirious followed Mark away from the newly repaired generator quickly. Once it was out of sight, he realized that Mark was going somewhere specific.

"Where are we headed to?" he asked Mark.

"The hideout," Mark answered. "Avery said to go there if we were ever separated," he explained.

 _This Avery character seems to say a lot,_ Delirious thought, but he didn't say anything.

When Mark and Delirious reached the hideout, Delirious was at a loss for words. He stopped walking and looked practically straight up at the enormous oak tree, his mouth open in shock beneath his mask. Delirious looked down again and saw that Mark looked rather amused at his reaction. Before Delirious could say anything, Mark stepped behind the tree. Delirious followed, and quickly found that Mark had actually gone _inside_ the tree. Suddenly eager to see more, Delirious went through the small entrance and started climbing the ladder concealed inside. The treehouse was pretty empty, other than a few hooks in a small pile in one corner.

"How is there a hideout?" Delirious asked Mark, who was leaning against one wall with his arms crossed. Mark shrugged his answer.

Delirious went past him, seeing the second ladder that went higher up, and quickly found himself on the roof. He crawled out over the flat branch that worked as a deck and peered out over the junkyard. Delirious could see the small house over in the distance, and The Wraith was prowling in and around it. He laughed a little at the sight of the killer looking for someone to hunt down and hook. He looked a little dumb when doing it hopelessly.

Mark, someone else named Jack, and then Avery. Even though it wasn't a dream, at least Delirious wasn't alone.


	6. The Fourth Player

_**Repeats!**_

 _ **But it's only so the story makes sense.**_

* * *

"How many do ya think we need ta repair?" asked Jack. "It's usually four or five, depending on the number of players in a round."

Avery shook her head. "My guess is that since all the maps are spawned into one, we'll have to fix more than five. In fact, I know how many we need to repair, and that number is ten," she explained grimly.

Mark's mouth dropped open, and Jack exclaimed, "Ten generators?!" he looked aghast.

"Ten," Avery repeated, though she wasn't sure she was helping calm the two adults down at all.

It was a while before any of them spoke again, and it was Mark who broke the silence.

"Does anyone happen to know why we're here?" he looked between Jack and Avery.

Jack didn't say anything.

"I don't know why or how, but like Jack had said," Avery adjusted her sitting position. "We have to beat the game to get out of it."

"How do you even know that we only have to repair ten generators?" Mark asked finally.

"I know that it's only ten because when I found this place, I found this note with it." Avery handed Mark and Jack a small slip of paper.

 _Welcome to the game, players!_  
 _You may have already noticed that this treehouse is a safe point. It is here for your specific case because the rules of physics are slightly different from when you play the game in the real world. The four of you will have to play against the four killers on the different maps, one at a time. On each new map, there is a safe house like this one. You will know if it is the safe house by a note with a number written on it. This number indicates how many generators you must repair in order to move on._  
 _Also, there is a Journal somewhere on this map that can explain everything about your current situation. All you have to do is find it._  
 _Good luck!_

When Mark and Jack were finished, Avery gave them the sheet of paper sporting the number ten written on it.

"This first note says 'four' on it," Mark pointed out. "There's only three of us." he said.

Avery sighed. "I know, which means that there is a likely chance that someone else is still running around yet," she guessed.

Jack looked from Avery to Mark, then back at Avery. "Well, then we have ta go and find them," he said pointedly.

"We will, eventually," Avery said, taking the notes back and tacking them to the wall. "But for now, if any of us want to get home, then we have to go with what we know so far."

Mark and Jack stared at her.

"So, what yer saying is, we should go back out there and try to fix a bunch of broken machines while there's a chance of us getting killed?" Jack asked, his tone hard.

"Basically," Avery said calmly.

"We just got here!" Jack exclaimed. "And I sure as hell still don't understand what the fook is goin on," he added.

"No one does, Jack," Mark grumbled.

"I know," Avery said. "But the sooner we move on, the quicker we're out of the game, and once we're out, we're back home."

Jack sighed, unable to disagree with Avery's words, now. Mark looked down at his lap, shifting his hands awkwardly. Neither of them could really deny that Avery was right, and it wasn't like they wanted to anyway. They both obviously liked the idea that they could return home, it was just that Mark and Jack were scared of how they would have to make that happen. Going around fixing machines that could possibly explode in your face while there was also a monster running around trying to kill you wasn't exactly something that anyone would want to deal with.

A video game version of all that was harmless, but it was an entirely different story in real life.

"Well," Jack began, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had surrounded them. "We're not going ta get anywhere by staying here," he said. "We should head out."

Avery nodded. "I'll tell you guys what we have to do once we get to that point," she told them.

The three of them stood up and one by one, went back down the ladder to the ground. They came upon a small section of the junkyard that was littered with rusted car parts, and a hook was standing in the middle. Mark and Jack worked together to make a pile of tires underneath it by rolling them over, and Avery was able to stand on the large rubber rings and take down the hook. She gave the hook to Jack to carry before they went off again.

"Still no sign of a generator," Mark said after a while, sounding very confused. "Surely we would have spotted one by now?"

"They're spread out across the different areas, I'm guessing. And there's also the chance that the total number of generators on the entire map is also the number we have to repair," Avery said.

"That's reassuring," Jack complained sarcastically. Avery ignored him.

They found another hook next to a rusted bus that lay in pieces, its two halves collapsing in on themselves slightly. While Avery dismantled it, Mark and Jack were looking around for a generator.

"Hey, Avery! We found one!" Mark called out just as Avery pulled the black hook off the stand.

"Really? That's great!" She ran over and joined Mark, who was waiting for her. "Where?" she asked.

"Just over here," Mark said, pointing ahead of Avery.

She followed Mark to where Jack was waiting for them. A generator sat next to him, and a wall made from scrunched together trash and metal stood on one side. A small part of it was cut away, forming a window through which they could climb if they needed to make an escape. Avery got down on one side and Mark and Jack took the other.

"Okay, so do you guys see the colored wires?" Avery asked. "You have to reconnect them with the matching color. Some other pieces of the generator are bent or loosened, so we have to tighten or straighten them." Avery put her hands into the mix of metal gadgets and added, "Oh, and watch out for the timers on each part."

There was clicking as Mark and Jack got to work and Avery began tightening a loose screw. She could hear grumbling and some other noises from behind the generator whenever Mark or Jack messed up or almost missed fixing something in time.

"Mark, take this side," Avery said, getting up. "I'm going to try at the side panel."

Mark took her place on the side opposite of Jack, while Avery studied the front side of the machine. She tested a few bolts and screws, found a few were loose and tightened them before looking for something else. Avery found a small wire poking out from behind a thin pipe and replaced it into its proper socket. The generator was rumbling rather decently now, and Avery thought they might just get it when there was a clanging noise.

Mark and Jack stopped what they were doing and looked towards the sound. A second later, the generator exploded.

"RUN!" Avery shouted as The Wraith came into sight at last.

Jack ended up running in the same direction as Avery, but Mark must have panicked and charged off blindly, because he wasn't with them. The Wraith was still nearby, since Jack and Avery could still hear it grunting angrily as it ran after them. But they stopped running and hid themselves, crouching low in a patch of tall grass. They kept themselves still as The Wraith came into sight. Jack desperately tried to hide his bright green hair, which stood out ominously. Luckily, The Wraith didn't see them and, clanging his bell and turning invisible once more, moved away in the direction of the Blood Lodge.

Finally, Jack and Avery stood once more and started looking around for Mark as they made their way back towards the generator.

"You think he's okay?" Jack asked worriedly.

"As long as Mark knows to head back to the hideout, I'm sure he'll be fine," Avery said, but she didn't sound so sure.

As they walked on, they noticed a bright light ahead of them and discovered the generator already fully repaired.

"Mark must have come back to it already," Avery guessed.

"If he did, then he wasn't alone," Jack said suddenly. He bent over and took something off the generator, then showed it to Avery, who took it.

It was a small piece of blue fabric, and it was stained with something a little reddish, which was still wet. After a quick sniff, Avery realized that the stain was blood.

"Mark wasn't wearing anything blue," Jack said as Avery still examined the torn fabric. "So it must be from something else," he said.

"Or someone else," Avery corrected, trying to hold back an outburst of excitement.

"What?" Jack said, puzzled.

Avery looked up from the bloody material and at Jack. "I think I've got an idea of who our fourth 'player' is," she said, her eyes sparkling a little.

Jack stared at her. "You sure?" he asked.

"I could be wrong," Avery said, looking back at the fabric again. "We won't know for sure until we get back to the hideout. Let's go."


	7. Generators And A Split-Up

_**Things start to get dramatic.**_

* * *

"Mark? Are you up there?!" Avery called up to the treehouse when she and Jack reached it.

Mark appeared in the window and waved down at them. Avery let Jack head up first before going to climb the ladder herself. She felt a little confused when she found that Mark was alone.

"Saw you finished the generator," Jack said.

"Yeah," Mark took the note with the ten on it off the wall and handed it to Avery. "Apparently it's keeping track of how many generators we've got. I'm guessing you had already got one before we met?" he asked.

Avery nodded. "That's how I know what we need to do to fix them." She looked at the paper. A second tally mark had been drawn next to the first one. Mark was right about it keeping track, then.

"Mark," Avery suddenly remembered the fabric. "Was there anybody else with you when you came back here?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Mark went over to the roof hatch and went up.

Jack looked at Avery. "Why do you look so excited?" he asked, puzzled by her expression.

Avery hadn't realized that her outburst was starting to leak out and forced it down again, trying to make herself look calm. Finally, Mark came back with Delirious behind him. Avery felt a small stab of disappointment when she saw the mask, but was quickly able to push it away.

"Hi," Jack said.

"I'm guessing you must be Jack?" Delirious said, holding his hand out.

"Yeah," Jack said, taking it.

"H2ODelirious," Delirious said.

"H2O- what?" Jack said, squinting his eyes in confusion.

Delirious looked over at Avery, who had her hands over her mouth and nose, and her eyes were shut tightly as she was trying to contain her excitement, which was about to explode.

"I can only guess that Avery watches you as well, so you'll have to give her a minute to get ahold of herself. She was nearly shrieking when she first met us," Mark explained.

"Oh," Delirious said.

Avery finally managed to calm herself enough to say, "Hi," her voice was a high pitched squeak, though.

Delirious could only guess that Avery had only barely gotten a hold of herself, because she was bobbing up and down slightly with excitement.

"You okay?" Delirious asked.

Avery nodded her head quickly in reply. She finally managed to calm herself down enough to speak properly, and was no longer bouncing on her feet.

"Okay, so, has Mark explained anything to you, yet?" Avery asked.

Delirious shook his head. "Not really," he stated.

Avery gave him the note that explained some of what was going on.

"Journal?" he said when he'd finished reading.

"We haven't found it yet," Avery said. "So we still don't really know what's going on or why we're here," she finished.

"Or _how_ we're here," Jack added.

"What's the number of generators?" Delirious asked.

"Ten, but we've already got two down, leaving us with eight to go," Mark explained.

"So, Delirious," Avery made herself comfortable on the floor. "How did you come to meet Mark anyways?" she asked.

"Well," Delirious recalled everything to Avery, Mark, and Jack, starting with when he found himself on the rusted and broken school bus. He explained how he'd saved one of them from the Wraith in the beginning by the Blood Lodge ("That would've been me," Jack put in) and how he'd managed to lose the monster. He told them about the flashlight he'd found, and then how soon after that he ran into Mark.

"Mark told me how to fix the generators already, so I can help you guys with the others," Delirious finished.

"Right, and there's only eight left, so we should try to finish fixing them all," Avery said. "We can gather more hooks while we do so, too."

"Don't we need a toolbox for that?" Delirious asked pointedly.

"Not this time, we don't." Avery answered. "The hook's design is different from what it is in the actual game. I believe it is to make things more interesting or quite possible easier for us." she explained.

"So there's a better chance that we'll all get out of here?" Delirious asked.

"Yes." Avery nodded.

"Well then, I'm all in," Delirious said, his eyes looking determined through his mask.

"Before we leave again, though," Mark started. "I've been wondering. Delirious, why are you wearing a Jason Voorhees mask?" he asked.

"He likes that particular character from _Friday The 13th,_ I'm guessing," Avery said.

"Hell yeah," Delirious said. "Voorhees is the best killer I've seen in anything."

"That's not what I meant," Mark said.

"I keep my face hidden from everyone," Delirious explained, unclearly.

"If I'm not mistaken," Avery began. "No one from your group of friends actually knows what you look like except for Luke?" she said.

"Just him and family," Delirious confirmed.

"So, you're like one of those secretive YouTubers?" Jack guessed. "Never use a webcam or whatever?"

Delirious nodded. "The subscribers can only guess," he said.

"And it drives us nuts," Avery said. "Especially when it comes to the fanfics."

Delirious looked at her quickly. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean everyone tries to give you an identity that seems fitting for what you're like in your videos," Avery explained.

Delirious was silent.

"You've got identity issues, while Jack and I have Septiplier problems," Mark said.

"I don't actually ship it, by the way." Avery told him and Jack. "Or you with Vanoss," she added to Delirious.

Delirious seemed to relax a little.

"Wow, you're probably the first fan of your age I've met that doesn't." Mark said.

Avery shrugged. "Well, I am only fourteen and a half," she said.

"Wait, what?" Jack was startled. "Yer only fourteen?!"

"And a half," Avery said. "Yeah, I know, I look older than that."

"Yet you know a lot about this game," Jack said.

"Yep. I also know that we've all been sitting here for nearly thirty minutes." Avery said, looking at a watch around her wrist.

Jack scooted across the floor and disappeared down the trapdoor saying "I'm out."

"Well, hold on and wait for us, Jack!" Avery giggled lightly, standing up and going down after him.

Mark and Delirious followed after them, and once all four of them were back on the ground, they went off on their mission. Avery tore down another hook as they walked, and then suddenly realized where they were headed. In front of them was a forest of thick trunked birch trees, and there were small piles or stacks of trash here and there. It was almost like a maze, but the group found another generator beneath one of the trees, and another hook by a barrel with a fire burning on its top.

"I forget what this forest area was called," Delirious said.

"I think it was the Wretched Shop, but I could be wrong," Avery said. "I know that the other names were Asarov's Resting Place and the Wrecker's Yard."

They had reached the other side of the forest, where a lot of broken and rusted cars, vans, trucks, buses, and even tankers were scattered everywhere.

"Okay, now this is Asarov's Resting Place," Avery said. "It's got to be. I know that it has a lot of vehicles around and a strange hourglass kind of shape to it."

"Hey, there's a generator over there!" Jack called out suddenly.

Mark, Delirious, and Avery looked in the direction he was pointing. There was another generator, and all four sides of it were open, so the whole group could work on it. The moment the light came on the four of them ran from the area. When they stopped, the faint clanging of the bell could be heard.

"We better hurry, he's catching up to us," Avery said.

"We have ta be more careful," Jack drawled, glaring at Delirious.

"What?" Delirious said at the look Jack gave him.

"Yeh almost caused tha generator to explode!" Jack was suddenly up in Delirious' face, his blue eyes full of anger. "Just considering how close that monster is ta us now, it could have gotten one of us if that machine blew!" Jack said, his frustrated tone making Avery and Mark nervous.

"Well, it didn't blow, did it?" Delirious growled. "At least I don't fumble with the wires like you were!" Delirious crossed his arms.

"Guys! Can we not fight, please?" Mark tried to put himself between Jack and Delirious. "There are more important things to worry about right now," he said.

Delirious and Jack stopped arguing, though they still glared at each other. It was unusual for Jack to dislike somebody, since he loved just about everyone. And for Delirious. . . Well, that really depended. Avery couldn't really make up her mind on if it was completely out of the ordinary or just something that didn't usually happen.

"Let's just get out of here before the killer finds us," Avery said desperately.

They continued walking on in silence, looking for another generator or hook. The Blood Lodge was once again visible in the distance, so the group must have circled around the map. They found another generator soon after, on a hill that had a view of the backside of the Blood Lodge. The rumbling of the generator grew louder as Avery, Mark, and Delirious repaired it. Jack was standing on the edge of the hill, looking out for The Wraith. The light came on when the machine was fixed, and at the same time, The Wraith showed up.

It rang its bell, once again becoming visible, and then ran up the hill.

Mark, Avery, and Delirious scattered, while Jack jumped over the hill's cliffside, landing on the ground below. He rejoined Mark in his escape while Avery and Delirious tried to get back around to them. The Wraith raced after Avery, who began to lead it away from the others. Delirious caught up to Mark and Jack as they stopped to watch Avery, ready to jump in if she would ever need help with this chase.

It became clear that she did when she just barely managed to get behind a tree, dodging The Wraith's skulled weapon. Mark was first to charge over, Jack and Delirious close behind him.

"Avery, get out of there!" Mark called, throwing a piece of rusty metal at The Wraith. The trash hit the monster squarely in the back of the head, and it swung around, flailing its weapon wildly.

"Scatter!" Avery yelled at Delirious, Mark, and Jack as The Wraith ambled towards them. The three adults split, running in opposite directions. The Wraith went after Mark, and Jack went after The Wraith while Delirious got back with Avery, and the two of them followed after.

Mark threw a wooden pallet down as The Wraith swung its weapon. It cut out a large splinter of the wood, but at least the monster was slowed down in its pursuit of Mark. Mark kept running, headed toward an opening in the small ring made from piles of scrap metal as The Wraith broke apart the wood that had stopped it in its path. Mark didn't see the metal sheet sticking out at the opening, though, and he fell to the ground with a cry of pain. Mark clutched the bloody part of his right leg as pain crawled through it. He looked back at the metal sheet and found that the end was stained with his blood at least half an inch down. Mark lifted one hand and saw a two inch scratch across his calf and realized the metal had cut into his leg.

The Wraith had broken through the wood now, and was just feet away from him, but when Mark stood up and tried to run again, his leg exploded with pain and gave out underneath him and he fell to the ground again, moaning. The Wraith stopped and bent over, picking up Mark by the back of his shirt and threw him over its shoulder.

"Mark!" Jack's voice cried.

Mark struggled against The Wraith, trying to push himself out of the monster's grip. He was worried that the beast would find a hook soon, but because Avery had been taking them all down, Mark was able to push himself out far enough that The Wraith had to drop him.

Despite the agonizing pain it gave him, Mark ran the best he could away from the monster. His leg finally gave way beneath him and Mark collapsed once again, but Jack and Delirious were quickly at his side. Avery jumped in front of The Wraith, dodging a swing from its knife-embedded skull stick.

* * *

Jack was already running as fast as his legs could carry him. Running after The Wraith, running after Mark. He was terrified that Mark might get caught. But then Mark slipped through a small gap and threw a large plank of wood down, blocking The Wraith's way. Jack saw a small piece of wood fly off the pallet and stopped, almost falling forward from the sudden halt. Jack felt a bit of hope that Mark may actually get away, but then he fell to ground with a cry of pain. He'd been hurt.

Avery and Delirious stopped next to Jack and could only watch with him as The Wraith broke the platform into pieces and stomped through the opening. Mark stood up and tried to run again, and Jack flinched horribly when he fell back to the ground. His eyes widened with fright when The Wraith picked Mark up.

"Mark!" he cried out fearfully.

Jack, Avery, and Delirious followed after The Wraith as Mark struggled on its shoulder. Finally, the beast was forced to drop Mark when he'd almost gotten out of its grip. Mark was practically hopping on his left leg as he made a desperate attempt to escape, but then he tried to actually run and his leg collapsed beneath him, sending him sprawling back onto the ground.

"Go help Mark!" Avery said quickly and ran towards The Wraith.

Jack and Delirious were already racing over to Mark and got down at his sides as Avery threw herself in front of The Wraith. She just barely got out of the way of its weapon.

"Get Mark back to the hideout!" she told Jack and Delirious as she ran in the opposite direction, away from them.

"What are you going to do?!" Delirious called after her.

Avery didn't answer and kept running. She finally disappeared from sight behind a truck. They heard a loud roar from The Wraith before it swung at the truck and then. . .

BOOM

Jack and Delirious shielded their eyes while Mark turned his head away from the explosion. When it fell quiet again, Delirious was staring off in the direction that Avery had vanished.

"What. . . what happened?" he asked, his voice desperate.

"I don't know, but we need ta do what Avery said to and get Mark back to the hideout," Jack said, examining Mark's bleeding leg.

Mark was moaning with pain as blood continued to spill out from the deep cut. Delirious didn't seem to want to move, not without knowing what had happened to Avery, but he helped Jack get Mark to his feet and to support him under the arms as they took him back to the treehouse.

Hopefully, Avery was alright and would make it back there as well.


	8. A Missing Avery

_**Where has Avery gone? Is she even still alive? And what about Mark's injury?**_

* * *

The wind rustled the leaves of the giant oak tree as Delirious sat out on the flat branch by the roof of the treehouse. He was staring out over the junkyard, looking for any sign of The Wraith, or even better, of Avery. All of this was real, and Avery was still just a kid, so Delirious couldn't stand the thought of her dead.

Inside the treehouse, Mark was flinching slightly as Jack wrapped his injured leg with bandages. They had found a box on the way back here, and got lucky when Delirious found a first-aid kit inside it. Jack finished and pasted the end of the bandage to the rest.

"Who knows if I'll still be able to walk with this leg for a while now?" Mark said as Jack closed the small red case.

"Well, hopefully you'll be able to soon, because I don't think we'll be able ta carry you all the time." Jack placed the kit against the wall next to Mark.

Mark sighed. "How long do you think he'll stay out there?" he asked, looking up at the roof hatch.

Jack followed his gaze before looking down at the floor. "I don't know," he said. He disliked the idea that Avery was dead, and Mark did, too, but what were the chances that she was still alive after that explosion?

Jack stood up and went over to the window. "Hey, Del, could ya come back down here?" he asked.

Outside, Delirious growled lightly. "Don't. . . don't call me Del," he grumbled.

"Oh, sorry. Is it a friends only thing?" Jack asked.

"Sort of," Delirious answered. He stood and went back down into the treehouse anyway, though.

Jack was still standing at the window, and Mark was carefully making small movements with his leg. Delirious looked at the pile of hooks in the corner and a feeling of dread fill him.

"She might not come back," Jack said suddenly.

"I don't want to stay here waiting, though," Delirious stated. "I want to go look for her."

"There's a chance that she isn't even out there anymore," Jack said.

"What do you mean by that?!" Delirious demanded.

"You've played this game before, right?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Delirious answered.

"Surely you've died in it before?" Jack asked. Delirious was silent for a second or two before he gave a small nod. "You know how when you die, your character completely vanishes as the weird spider creature thing takes them," Jack explained.

Delirious felt a surge of anger. "Are you suggesting that Avery might not even exist anymore?!" he growled.

"I didn't say that, I just said that you may never find her," Jack clarified.

"What made you think I was planning to go alone?" Delirious said.

"Must I remind you that Mark can't currently stand up?" Jack took a few steps forward towards Delirious, who didn't move.

"I'm aware that he can't go anywhere, but I don't want to not at least _try_ looking for her!" Delirious argued.

"Then you can go look for her!" Jack puffed. "I'm staying here with Mark."

Delirious tried to think of something to say back, but gave up and left the treehouse, disappearing down the ladder shaft. Jack scoffed and turned, looking out the window to watch Delirious walk away.

"Jack," Mark said, bringing Jack's attention to him. "You should really go with him." Mark looked into Jack's eyes.

"What?! No! I'm not leaving you here alone, Mark," Jack protested. "Besides, that thing could still be out there if it wasn't destroyed in the explosion!" he said.

"Even if it is, it can't get up here." Mark reminded Jack. "Avery said so because it's written on the note that this is a safe point, or have you forgotten?" he said.

Jack sighed. Mark was right. But still. . .

"I just don't want ta leave you alone," Jack said quietly.

Mark chuffed. "I'll be fine, Jack. If anything, what I need right now is some rest," he said.

Jack thought about this for a moment. "You sure you'll be okay?" he asked Mark worriedly.

Mark rolled his eyes. "Jack, go after Delirious already," he grumbled.

"Okay, fine!" Jack said, heading down the ladder.

Once on the ground, he took off in the direction that Delirious had gone.

"H2O! Are you still around here?" Jack called out.

"That's a new one." Jack turned at Delirious' voice. "Why did you came after me?" Delirious asked. "It wasn't to bring me back, was it?" Jack saw his eyes narrow behind the Jason Mask.

Jack sighed. "Mark told me to come with you," he answered.

"Oh," Delirious said, growing less defensive. "I was just going to the explosion sight. Usually the best place to start looking."

"Right," Jack nodded.

He followed after Delirious in the path that they had carried Mark. It had been an extreme situation at the time, so they hadn't been looking around. But now that they could take some time, Jack spotted a generator nearby and pointed it out to Delirious. The reattached cut wires, straightened bent parts, and tightened loose bolts and screws in silence. The moment the light came on, Jack and Delirious moved on from the spot and came upon the Blood Lodge. Delirious automatically took off running in the direction of the explosion sight, forcing Jack to race after him. What seemed like a mile of running later, Delirious finally stopped, and Jack almost ran right into him.

"This is definitely where it happened." Delirious said.

Jack had to agree with him on that, because there were a few trees surrounding the area that had been partly turned black and the already dead grass was burnt and smoldering. A small crater had been formed in the ground, and the truck that had exploded was nowhere to be seen. All that seemed to be left of it was a single rearview mirror. But there was no sign of Avery anywhere, except for a small spot of blood on the ground across the clearing. If Avery was still alive, then she must have left the area. Meaning she was now either back at the treehouse or still wandering around the map.

Avery may not have been there anymore, but The Wraith sure was. Jack was the first to spot it and quickly alerted Delirious. It hadn't seen them yet, so Jack and Delirious cautiously made their way around it. They were almost in the clear when Delirious suddenly realized something different about it.

"Uh, Jack?" Delirious stopped Jack by touching his shoulder.

"What?" Jack looked at him.

Delirious pointed at The Wraith. "Was there blood on the skull before?" he asked.

Jack didn't know what he was talking about for a moment, but then he looked for himself. Delirious was right; there was blood on the skull of the Wraith's weapon, and there hadn't been before the explosion.

"Crazy idea," he said suddenly, looking around and picking a bent pipe up off the ground.

"What?" Delirious didn't take his eyes off the monster, which was patrolling the crater.

"We should attack it." Jack said.

Now Delirious looked at Jack as though he was insane. "What?!" he exclaimed.

"It's just an idea, H2O," Jack explained quickly.

Delirious scanned Jack's face for a moment. He was serious about this, so he left Jack and went over to a nearby pile of trash and soon returned with half a crowbar. He gave Jack a nod to say he was ready and the two of them began stalking The Wraith. The killer suddenly rang its bell and turned invisible, and Jack and Delirious were watching the unclear form of it running off in the opposite direction. It was difficult too, but they followed after it.

It stopped at the edge of the trees and looked around after uncloaking. Jack and Delirious shared a quick glance before they made their charge.

"What did you do with Avery, you bastard?!" Delirious cried when The Wraith had noticed them. "She's still just a kid!" Delirious got closer than Jack thought that either of them would have gotten and drove the crobar through the monster's right arm.

The beast let out a roar of pain and swung its newly injured arm at Delirious in fury, sending him flying. Jack charged at the killer and swung his pipe at its head. Enraged, The Wraith raised its weapon and cut Jack's in half. Jack took the chance and seized the spine of the monster's deadly staff. He yanked it from The Wraith's hand and swung it as hard as he could at The Wraith's head. There was a loud _thunk_ when it came into contact with the monster's skull. The killer fell forward to the ground, unconscious. Feeling triumphant, Jack hurried over to where Delirious had landed.

"H2O, are you okay?" Jack asked.

Delirious groaned as Jack sat him up, but he nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." Delirious looked around. "Did you get it?" he asked, looking at Jack.

"Yeah, the monster is down for the count," Jack said.

Delirious got up to have a look for himself.

"Ha ha!" he cried when he saw the unconscious form of The Wraith. "That son of a bitch totally got what he deserved!" Delirious looked at The Wraith for a moment or two more before heading back towards Jack.

"Come on," he said, walking past him and waving a hand for Jack to follow. "I think I saw another generator over here somewhere."

Jack looked back at The Wraith before following after Delirious. They were quickly able to repair the generator before continuing their search for Avery.


	9. Afraid To Be Alone

_**Next week is the last week of publishing for this part! :D**_

 _ **How exciting is that?! Not very, considering I won't be posting again until January. More details will be stated in the last chapter! =3**_

* * *

Mark didn't know how long it had been since Jack had left, but he was growing nervous as time passed. He wasn't sure if it was from just being totally alone or his worry about everyone else. Mark at least knew that he wasn't seeing things when two new tally marks found their way onto the sheet with the number ten. Hopefully, Jack had caught up to Delirious and the two of them had repaired both generators together.

Still, even if the two of them were working together to find Avery, Mark was still getting antsy. When he finally couldn't stand waiting any longer, Mark lifted himself to his feet. He hissed with pain after putting some weight on his right leg, but found that it was at least able to support him just a little bit now. Limping over to the trapdoor, Mark slowly made his way down the ladder and outside the tree. He walked with something of a weird gallop, almost hopping on his left leg. Even though the pain was quickly coming back to him, Mark kept on going. He needed to find Jack and Delirious.

Jack and Delirious, unaware that Mark was no longer at the hideout, were still looking for Avery. They had left the Wretched Shop forest behind them and were heading back towards the explosion sight when Delirious suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"A hook," Delirious pointed towards a hill. There was a hook standing at the top of it.

"All right, let's go." Jack said, heading for it first.

Delirious followed Jack and was first up the hill. As he tried to figure out a way to reach it, Jack kept watch over the surrounding area. Delirious tried jumping and just gave himself a few splinters.

"Ouch!" he growled, shaking his hands. He started picking the splinters out of his hands. "Why aren't you doing this?" Delirious asked Jack. "You're taller than me."

"I'm not _that_ much taller than you." Jack said. To prove his point, he stepped in next to Delirious. "See? Look, we're practically the same height anyway." Jack went back to scanning the area.

"Yeah, whatever." Delirious grumbled.

He unzipped his sweater and pulling it off, Delirious threw his sweater around the post and started using it to climb. He was soon laying on his stomach across the top and was trying to remember how Avery had taken the other hooks down.

"How did Avery do this?" he asked Jack.

"There should be a clip," Jack said. "You have to-" he stopped when he turned around. "Holy shit! How did ya get up there?!" he gasped.

"I used my hoodie." Delirious explained. He found the clip Jack had mentioned and played with it until it came off.

Jack was still staring up at Delirious, who was now in just a gray T-shirt and his black jeans and white sneakers (which were now a little tan). The blue sweater now lay on the ground, and Jack picked it up.

"You want this back?" he asked.

"Yes," Delirious answered, ripping the hook's binding off. He took his sweater from Jack and put it back on, but left it unzipped this time. Delirious stood up on the stand and went to jump down.

Jack had looked away to scan the area once more. Delirious jumped off the end of the stand, but the post was closer to the edge than he had thought, and his landing was sloppy.

"GAH!" Delirious cried as he tripped over the edge, landing on the ground below with a _thwump_.

Jack had turned at Delirious' cry and bent down at the edge.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Delirious said, standing up again and brushing himself off. He looked up at Jack and his eyes widened. "SHIT! JACK, RUN!" he shouted.

Jack quickly rolled over and saw The Wraith, who was obviously no longer unconscious. Jack rolled out from underneath the monster as it slammed the skull end of his staff on the ground where, just a second earlier, Jack's head had been. Jack ran down the hill and charged off towards the Blood Lodge. One quick glance behind him told Jack that Delirious had run in the other direction, and that the killer had gone after him.

Jack didn't stop running until reached the Blood Lodge, though. This was now just fantastic. He and Delirious had gone looking for Avery, who was still missing, and now the both of them were separated.

At least there was still one good thing for Jack, and that was that he'd found a generator.

Or, actually remembered that there was one in the Blood Lodge.

Heading inside, Jack made his way up the collapsed floor boards and onto the deck. Sure enough, there was a generator still untouched. Jack immediately jumped into fixing it, though he kept looking around for the killer, Avery, or Delirious. After a while, Jack saw movement on the ground below and thought it was The Wraith, though it had a slight limp. Leaving the generator, Jack ran to the closet inside the house and hid himself inside it.

The limping figure Jack had seen and thought was the monster was actually Mark. Now standing just outside the Blood Lodge, he could hear a generator rumbling. It sounded like it was coming from above him, so Mark looked up. He could see a bit of the generator, and there was no light on above it. Getting excited, Mark went inside the Blood Lodge and crawled up the collapsed floor. When he reached the generator, he found that no one was by it. Puzzled, Mark looked around for someone.

When he didn't see anyone, he opened his mouth to call out, but his voice was replaced with a clanging bell. Mark looked around desperately around and spotted the closet and limped over.

"What the-?!" someone exclaimed, startling Mark. "Mark!?" Jack gasped, confused.

"Oh, sorry, Jack!" Mark said, closing the closet door again. He went instead to hide behind the generator.

Jack, shocked by Mark's sudden appearance, was about to leave the closet to ask what he was doing there when he too heard the clanging bell and had to stay put. His breath caught in his throat, but Jack pushed the urge to cough down, at least until it had fallen quiet again.

"Jack, you can come out. It's gone," Mark said from outside the closet.

Jack opened the door and stepped out, closing it again behind him. He went straight over to Mark, who looked relieved to see him.

"What are ya doing here, Mark?!" Jack demanded. "And how did you even get this far on that leg?" he asked.

"I-" Mark paused. He couldn't seem to think of a response.

"It's bad enough tha we're in this mess, and now that yer hurt. . ." Jack's voice trailed.

They were both quiet for a moment before, "I was looking for you and Delirious," Mark said finally. "Did you ever catch up to him?" he asked.

Jack sighed. "I did, but the two of us got separated not too long ago," he explained.

"Oh," Mark looked around awkwardly. "Did you guys find anything?" he asked.

Jack knew Mark was talking about Avery. "Not exactly," he said. "But I do believe that she might actually still be alive."

"That's good," Mark said.

Jack thought for a moment. "Why were you looking for us?" he asked finally. "We would have come back, with or without Avery, y'know." he said.

"I know that I was safer back at the treehouse, but I was starting to feel uncomfortable, being alone," Mark said.

"I thought ya said you would be fine on yer own?" Jack pointed out.

"I know what I said, but I guess that I was wrong." Mark sighed. "It's really just the feel of this place that made me leave," he said.

"Oh, then I understand." Jack admitted honestly. He'd been growing uncomfortable from being alone, himself, after getting separated from Delirious.

Jack seemed to automatically move back to fixing the generator, and Mark helped out. Jack accidentally broke something, causing a small explosion, but he stayed to fix it, since Mark didn't move. Both Jack and Mark were tense after that, though, and when the light finally came on, the fled the scene as fast as Mark could go.

Once at a fairly safe distance, Jack stopped to look at Mark's leg.

"How much does it hurt?" he asked after checking that the bandages weren't any bloodier than before.

"Not too much." Mark answered. "As long as I keep most of my weight off it as much as possible, I can at least walk," he said.

"Okay, let's head back," Jack said, and he helped Mark stand up again.

After a few yards of travel, Jack offered to help support Mark the rest of the way.

"No, I think I've got it." Mark claimed.

"Okay," Jack said, though he wasn't sure Mark was being completely truthful.

Jack was relieved when the giant oak tree came into sight, and was just glad that he and Mark had made it back safely.

"Jack! Mark! Up here!" Jack and Mark looked up to see a spot of blue among all the green leaves and brown branches.

"H2O!" Jack cried, thankful that Delirious too was okay. "Glad you're alright!" he called up to him.

Delirious moved down the branch and closer to the treehouse. "Mark, why did you leave?" he called down.

"Already discussed that with Jack!" Mark called back.

Jack went around the tree and ducked through the opening into the ladder shaft. He climbed up the ladder, looking down once to check that Mark was behind him. Jack reached the top and poked his head through the trapdoor. He was surprised by who he found in the treehouse with Delirious.

"Avery!"


	10. Something Unknown

_**H2OVanoss fan? Check out my channel on YouTube! You can find the link on my Twitter account.**_

 _ **Link is in my profile.**_

* * *

Jack moved out of the way in time and made a run for it. Delirious was about to follow him when The Wraith landed in front him after jumping off the hill. With a yelp, Delirious bolted in the opposite direction, weaving through the trash piles to avoid getting hit by the long, sharp blade embedded into The Wraith's weapon. When Delirious had run for a while, he looked behind him and stopped. The Wraith was no longer following him (hopefully), but now Delirious was alone. He'd been separated from Jack, and Avery was still missing.

But now at least Delirious could catch his breath. He looked around him to see where he was, and realized that it was The Killer Shack that always held the basement. Or as Delirious had once called it, the "Sex Dungeon". Quietly, Delirious made his way around the shack until he found the doorway and went inside. The one room was empty, with only the staircase descending into the basement to fill it. The basement was emitting a strange, orange glow. Delirious looked around quickly before heading down the stairs. A few of the steps creaked when Delirious put his foot on them, and then he heard quick moving footsteps and stopped.

He carefully made the rest of the way down and scanned the basement. All he saw were the four hooks that were built into the central pillar. There was no removing these. Delirious went past the hooks to the cubby area behind the wall in front of the stairs and found a box. And it was already opened. Although the stairs gave a weird orange glow, down here, it was more of a blue colored atmosphere, and Delirious could see a small spot of red on the floor in front of the chest. Blood.

Suddenly, there was a sneeze. It was cut short as it was stopped abruptly, but Delirious had a feeling he knew where and who it had come from. There were four total closets in the entire basement, but Delirious focused more on the one all the way across the room. He walked over to it slowly and stopped just outside it. He stood to one side and put his ear to the wood and gave a small knock.

"Avery? Are you in there?" he asked.

The closet's doors were swung open and Avery stepped out. She looked around for a moment before she saw Delirious and looked greatly relieved.

"Delirious!" she gasped, throwing her arms around Delirious unexpectedly.

"Whoa." Delirious was a little startled, and Avery quickly pushed herself away.

"Oh, sorry!" she said quickly. "I just. . . it's. . . ugh!" Avery collected herself quickly. "I'm just glad that it wasn't the killer," she managed at last.

"Well, I'm just glad to see that you're still alive," Delirious said. "But, just how are you alive?" he asked.

"I'll explain everything, but we have to get back to the treehouse." Avery was already heading for the exit before she even finished speaking, and Delirious had to follow after her.

It was suddenly cooler above ground, and Delirious realized that it was actually hotter in the basement. Avery was walking really quickly, and Delirious was finding it difficult to keep up, even though Avery was several inches shorter than him. He could walk faster, but then Avery was almost running.

"Whoa, Avery, could you slow down a little?" Delirious panted.

Avery was now actually running, and she didn't respond to Delirious' request. She finally stopped when they reached the oak tree, though. Delirious, who had been running pretty fast after Avery, skidded to a halt, but his foot tripped over something and he fell forward. Standing up again (and straightening his mask), Delirious looked at Avery, who was gazing upward at the treehouse.

"Is anyone else here?" she looked up at Delirious for her answer.

"Well, Mark should be here, still, and Jack may have come back already." Delirious said.

Before Avery could race to the ladder, Delirious made to be the first to climb it. He was startled when he found the treehouse empty.

"That's odd," he said, climbing out of the trapdoor.

"What is it?" Avery asked.

"Mark should still be here. I would think that he can't even stand up." Delirious mumbled.

Avery came up behind Delirious and looked around. She went to the window to scan the junkyard for Mark and Jack. That's when Delirious saw the blood. A red spot stained the back of Avery's shirt, and the size of it made Delirious a bit worried.

"What happened to your back?" he asked, concerned.

Avery turned to look at him. "What?" she sounded confused.

"You're bleeding." Delirious pointed out, and Avery suddenly realized what he was talking about.

"Oh, that. . . It happened during the explosion, but it's no big deal or something worth making a fuss about," Avery said.

Delirious detected a bit of pain in Avery's voice, and though she couldn't see it, one of his eyebrows was raised. "It really doesn't seem that way to me," he stated.

"I'm fine!" Avery protested. "Really."

Delirious looked at her. "It doesn't sound or look that way, Avery," he said softly.

Avery sighed. She sat on the floor and crossed her arms over the window sill and rested her head on them. "It does actually still hurt a little," she admitted quietly.

Delirious moved over to Avery. He didn't have to lift her shirt too high, since the injury was pretty low down her back, but it didn't look too great. The cut was shallow, but it was wide, and really bloody. Some of the skin around it was even bruised. Delirious brought the first-aid kit over from the other wall, and he also took his mask off so that he could see what he was doing better. Avery saw the mask, now on the floor, but she didn't look all the way around at Jonathan's face. She knew how he preferred to keep that a secret.

When Delirious was finished, he put his mask back on. "Were you hurt anywhere else?" he asked Avery as she scooted away from the window.

"Nothing other than a few bruises," Avery said.

"I'll be on the roof if you need anything," Delirious said. "I'm gonna to keep an eye out for Mark and Jack." Delirious stood up again.

Avery nodded and he climbed out onto the roof. Delirious positioned himself at the highest point that was sturdy enough to hold his weight and looked out over what he could see of Autohaven Wrecker's. Something that got his attention was a distant explosion from the Blood Lodge. It wasn't currently concerning, since it was really small, and Delirious guessed that it had come from a generator. A moment later, he saw a light come on.

"Hey, Avery?" Delirious called down.

"What?" came Avery's voice.

"How many generators do we have so far?" Delirious asked.

"Uh, well," Avery took a moment. "It looks like you guys hit three more after the explosion. We've got eight tally marks here," she said.

There were the two that Delirious and Jack had gotten, and that was seven, so the light came from the eighth. Delirious strained his eyes in the direction of the Blood Lodge, hoping to spot Jack or Mark coming back here. When he finally saw movement, he saw them both.

"Jack! Mark! Up here!" he called down to them, waving his arm. Mark and Jack looked up.

"H2O! Glad you're alright!" Jack called up to him.

 _Why does he keep calling me 'H2O' ?_ Delirious wondered. He shifted his position until he could climb down the branches and head down into the treehouse again. He stopped at the hatch. "Mark, why did you leave?" he asked loudly.

"Already discussed that with Jack!" Mark replied.

Delirious watched Jack and Mark disappear behind the tree before heading back inside. When Jack appeared in the trapdoor, his eyes widened.

"Avery!" he gasped climbing out the rest of the way so that Mark could enter as well.

Avery gave Jack a nervous smile.

"What happened to you after the explosion? And how did you even get out of it alive?" Mark asked, leaning against the wall and sliding to the floor with his right leg stretched out in front of him.

"Before I tell you anything," Avery began. "I have to warn you; you won't like what I've discovered."


	11. Avery's Discovery

"Get Mark back to the hideout!" Avery yelled behind her at Jack and Delirious and then took off in the opposite direction.

"What are you going to do?!" she heard Delirious call after her.

But she couldn't answer, because it would likely slow her down. Avery wanted to get as far away from the others as fast as possible, giving them time to get Mark to safety. That's what mattered right now, nothing else. As long as Mark was taken back to the hideout and treated, he should be alright. Hopefully Jack or Delirious would soon find a first-aid kit. Avery ran past the Blood Lodge and beyond, heading into the area of the Wrecker's Yard. The Killer's Shack was at the center of it, and she knew that if she reached it, she might find something useful.

There was a roar behind her, and Avery then realized just how close The Wraith had gotten. There was a gray truck just ahead of her, and for some reason it was somehow running. Avery circled around it, and what she wasn't expecting was for The Wraith to take the sharpened end of the spine on its weapon and stab it into the truck's hood.

* * *

When Avery opened her eyes again, the first thing she felt was pain. It was all over her, but the majority of it was in her lower back. Barely moving, Avery managed to get one of her hands on that one spot, and gasped when she felt something wet. Blood. She was bleeding. What had happened? The last thing she remembered was a flash of bright orange and red light and then everything went black. Wait, almost everything was still black, or more like dark gray, and then Avery realized that it was smoke. The truck must have exploded when The Wraith had stabbed the engine.

With a few small yelps of pain, Avery managed to get to her feet once more, but it was difficult to stay on them, since her legs felt like jelly. Her head was now starting to hurt, and Avery was hardly able to walk. She looked around and saw smoldering fires burning themselves out, and there was a small crater several yards away from where she had landed. It was where the truck had been previously. The Wraith was nowhere around, and Avery guessed that he had either been sent flying and or had even been destroyed.

 _Poor guy. . ._ she thought suddenly. For Avery, even though The Wraith was trying to kill her, she still felt bad for him. His entire back story was something some people might find slightly dramatic.

The Wraith, or before he'd become the monster he was now, Philip Ojomo, had apparently come to this "country" with nothing but hope for a new start. He'd happily accepted a job offer for Autohaven Wrecker's where crushing cars was what he did best. But Philip Ojomo had been totally unaware to what his boss had been doing, which was putting innocent people in the trunks of the cars that he was putting through the crusher. It hadn't been until he saw blood coming from one of the trunks that Ojomo had discovered what his boss was doing. Apparently he'd completely snapped after his boss had finished off the poor guy and stuffed _him_ into the crusher, ripping his head and spine out afterward, which he now used as his weapon. Obviously he had found a blade to lodge into the jaw for better use at some point, though.

According to the game's website, after killing his boss, Philip Ojoma had left and was never seen again by anyone. Except for the unlucky souls that happened to wander into the junkyard.

Avery moved away from the site and stopped finally in a small patch of trees. She sat there for a couple of moments with her eyes closed before opening them again and looking around a little. To Avery's confusion, she saw something white and gray, almost like metal. Standing up for a closer look, Avery gasped.

It was a gate.

Avery ran up to it and tried pulling on the lever. It was stuck, and even if it wasn't, it wouldn't matter; the box wasn't getting enough power. Only half the number of needed generators were currently working, so of course there wouldn't be enough power to open the gate that Avery now stood in front of. Sighing, Avery turned away from the gate and started walking towards the Blood Lodge, the top of which was just barely visible in the distance. She couldn't go back to the treehouse, she felt that this was her chance to find the Journal. In truth, Avery actually did want to go back to the treehouse and the others, but what of the Journal? They all knew that the Journal held the answers to everything they needed and possibly wanted to know, and finding it would hopefully make things easier for them all.

As Avery wound her way through the high walls of scrap metal and other broken vehicles, she started to recognize which area she was on. This was Wrecker's Yard, which always contained the Killer's Shack. Inside the shack, there was _always_ the basement. The lair. Getting excited, Avery started looking around for a high vantage point. She found it in a dead birch tree, the branches of which were formed just right for climbing. Once Avery had gone as high as she dared, she gazed out over the Yard for any sign of the Shack. She knew she would recognize it once she saw it. But before Avery found anything of the dangerous building, she heard movement.

Avery froze, hoping that it wasn't Philip. All she needed now was to deal with The Wraith while stuck in a tree. The thing wouldn't leave her alone unless someone else came by.

Or it knew how to climb trees itself. That wouldn't be good.

Heart beginning to beat quickly in her chest, Avery slowly looked around, and was thankful when she finally saw the Shack far off in the distance, just barely visible through a patch of tall trees. Climbing down from the tree that she was in and landing on the ground once more, Avery started off in that direction. She heard the movement again, and then heard voices. Avery ducked out of sight and cautiously peeked out at the owners of the voices. It was Jack and Delirious.

"You sure?" Delirious was saying.

"Yeah, I can still see it ahead," Jack said.

Curious, Avery looked at where they were heading, and caught the slightest glimpse of something transparent. The Wraith.

"Come on! It's started running!" Jack whispered quickly, and then took off, with Delirious behind him.

 _What are they doing?_ Avery wondered. Were they hunting The Wraith? That was crazy! They would get themselves killed if not hurt!

Shaking her head and ignoring the urge to run after them, Avery turned away and headed off in the direction of the Killer's Shack. The sooner she got there, the better. Avery walked for a while, climbing to higher points when she could to make sure that she was still going in the right direction, and then finally reached the Shack. Sighing, Avery climbed in through the one window and gazed down the stairs, which emitted an interesting orange colored glow. Descending the stairs, the glow disappeared and was replaced with a blue-gray haze. It was hot in the basement, but Avery didn't care. She searched the whole place, and found a box in the small nook hidden behind a wall in front of the stairs.

Avery bent down in front of the box and threw it open. She rummaged through the contents (old sheets, broken hooks, a few blood covered bones, and a cracked piece of glass that Avery cut her arm on), and thought that it was all for not until she spotted something oddly familiar.

It was her _diary_.

The pink book was lying at the bottom of the box in one corner, and it looked as though it had been there for a while. Confused, Avery picked it up and turned it over. She opened it to a random page and was startled. The writing wasn't hers. The penmanship was not only different, but Avery had never written anything like this before.

She had found the Journal, but why did it look like her diary? Avery turned to the first page and began reading after a quick glance behind her.

 _Hello, player. I see that you have found the Journal. Good for you!_  
 _As you hopefully have already been told, this book contains the answers to your questions about your current situation. This is very much true, for on the next page is the reason why you're here._

Avery felt her breath catch in her throat as she turned the page.

 _Ah, I see that you have decided to keep reading. Smart decision, player._  
 _As for the reason you are here, that it something that you may not want to know, for it is disturbing. I do not know which of the four is currently reading this, but one of you is the cause for this mess. She wanted to meet the three people she idolized most so desperately that she was willing to put them and herself in danger to do so. Yes, Avery is the reason that you are all here. If you feel that she can no longer be trusted, you are wrong. She got you all into this mess, and she knows that she can get you all out of it as well. I'm sure that she has already said that she knows a lot about this game._  
 _Avery, if you are the one reading this right now, you must be so confused. Well, let me explain. You may have made your most recent diary entry unclear, therefore, making the book believe that what you meant was that the only way to meet Jacksepticeye, Markiplier, and H2ODelirious was inside this particular game. You may want to start wording you paragraphs differently, my dear._  
 _However, you did get the book without heeding the warning of the old bookstore owner, and are now only experiencing this because for the first time, you wrote in that diary a wish. The book was created to grant whoever was to write in it the wish that they wrote down. Unless properly worded and extremely specific, that wish would go bad somewhere. Writing with no flaws would always be the best option._

Avery stopped reading for a moment, and then turned to the next page, though she was afraid of what she might find written on the pages.

 _Now for the question of how this is happening._  
 _The four of you are probably wondering what is going on in the real world, right? Well, not to worry, none of you will be reported missing, for your actual bodies were left behind in the real world, each in a coma. Currently in the game are copies, or for more better terms, your souls. It sounds very freaky, I know, but there was no other way._  
 _What the first note you read said about the physics here being different from what they are in the actual game is something you should really be worried about. Any injury you sustain here, will be inflicted on your real body in the real world. Which also means that if you die here, you're actually dead. Game over._  
 _The note also stated that you would have to go up against the four killers on the four maps. Currently, you are facing the Wraith on Autohaven Wrecker's. The next one will be the Hillbilly on Coldwind Farm, leaving the Trapper with the Macmillan Estate. Finally, it will be the Nurse at the Crotus Prenn Asylum. The reason for all these specifics has to do with the backstories for each character and location._  
 _You already know that in order to get home, you must beat the game, and you already know how to do that; repair a certain number of generators on each map and move on._  
 _Something else that is rather important for you all to know, is that time is passing differently here than it is in the real world. Here, it is much slower, while in the real world, it goes normally, or as you might now see it, quicker._

Avery couldn't bear to read any more, but she kept going, there was still so much more that she needed to find out. Like, what about resources like food and water? She discovered that the game's toolboxes used for sabotaging the hooks had been replaced with these very things. Great, more things to find. Avery reread what was written in the Journal a few more times, trying to remember everything written on the pages, which was a good thing, because when she finally closed the book again, it vanished.

"Holy shit, this is way more serious than I had thought. . ." she murmured quietly.

Suddenly, Avery heard a creak. It had come from the stairs, which meant that someone was coming down. It could be The Wraith! Avery stood up quickly and ran across the basement as quietly as she could and hid inside the closet against the wall. She kept her breath and heart as still as possible, hoping that the monster wouldn't look in that particular closet. Several moments passed, and then Avery heard almost silent footsteps just outside the closet. To her surprise, there was a knock.

"Avery? Are you in there?" a most familiar voice spoke. It was Delirious.

Avery let herself breathe again and pushed the closet's doors open.

* * *

"Then Delirious and I came back here and he patched me up." Avery said, gently rubbing the bandage on her arm where she'd been cut by the glass.

"Why is it that you're the reason we're here?" Mark asked.

"I would like to know that, too." Jack said.

Avery shrugged. "Despite what the Journal had said about my diary being magic, I still want to know that answer as much as you do. Especially as to how that book is enchanted. I didn't think that magic was real," she said.

The four of them were quiet for a moment, before Delirious spoke up. "So, we've only got two generators left to repair?" he looked at the note where there were eight tally marks drawn under the large ten.

"Yeah, I guess we do." Avery said.

"Let's go and get them fixed, then!" Mark said, beginning to stand up.

"Whoa! You're not going anywhere, Mark," Jack said, putting his hand out to stop Mark from getting up.

Mark looked at him. "I'm fine, Jack. I can walk," he stated defiantly. "And besides, I'm sure that once the last generator is fixed, we're all going to get out of here right away," he added.

Jack looked to Avery, who shrugged.

"Well, we still don't know where the last two generators are," Delirious began. "and there's a chance that something could happen while we're still looking for them and we'll end up coming back here anyway."

"That's true." Avery nodded. "But we don't need to worry about that for right now, because I have a feeling that I know where the last two generators are."

Mark, Jack, and Delirious all stared at her. Avery shifted her gaze between them.

"We haven't hit two parts, I'm sure. There's a high chance that there is another generator on the other side of Asarov's Resting Place, and then one somewhere by the Killer's Shack." she explained.

"Oh, so all we have ta do is walk across the entire map?" Jack groaned.

"Basically, but the sooner we have them done-" Avery began.

"The sooner tha we're out." Jack finished her sentence.

"Exactly," Avery said. "And we're taking Mark with us," she added.

Mark's expression brightened.

"What?!" Jack exclaimed.

"Well, if he says he can walk, why leave him here?" Delirious said, just guessing Avery's thoughts. She nodded, saying that was exactly what she thinking.

Jack looked at the two of them, and then back at Mark. He sighed. "All right, fine, but we'll take a break or two, right?" he asked.

"Jack, I'll be fine." Mark stated.

"Unless Mark says that he wants to stop and rest, then we're not stopping." Avery crossed her arms.

Jack lowered his gaze. "Okay, fine," he said.

A minute later, Mark, Jack, Avery, and Delirious were headed back down the ladder to look for the last generators.


	12. Out Of Hell Number One

**_Hey guys! This is the last chapter of Part 1!_**

 ** _Just to let you guys know, I'll start publishing Part 2 on January 3rd._**

* * *

"All right, which generator are we going to hit first?" Delirious asked once he came out of the tree, carrying the first-aid kit with him, just in case.

"Well, I found a gate over by the Killer's Shack, so let's try for the one on Asarov's Resting Place first." Avery said.

"You found a gate?!" Jack exclaimed.

"Yes," Avery said.

"Great! A faster escape!" Jack said, a little too hopefully.

The group followed Avery away from the large oak tree, heading towards the Wretched Shop forest. Mark's limping wasn't so bad now, but he was still moving slowly. When they finally reached the edge of the thick birch forest, they checked that they were ready to keep going before entering the tree line.

A gray-brown mist had formed inside the forest, and it gave the place more of an eerie feeling than before. Still, the group soldiered on, making their way around the large trees, small trash piles, and a few rocks as well. At last, they came to the edge of the forest and went in the one direction that they hadn't yet. They came to the corridor between the sides, in which high brick walls had been built. A little while later, Mark spotted the generator first, near the other side of the area.

Getting down on each available side, Mark, Jack, and Delirious got to work repairing it while Avery looked around for something either useful or for The Wraith. The light came on almost fifteen minutes later, and the group made off across the map once more. They passed a few hooks on the way, and tore them down before moving on. It took a long time, and Delirious and Jack recognized the hill where they had been separated earlier, and then the group saw at last the Blood Lodge, giving the sign that they were closing in on the final generator.

"We should almost be there. It's just the matter of locating the last generator that may prove a problem. The Wrecker's Yard is like a maze of trash, cars, and patches of trees," Avery said.

"Fantastic," Jack said sarcastically, to which Avery rolled her eyes.

"Guys, can we stop for a moment?" Mark said after a while, panting lightly.

Jack looked back at him with worry. Delirious and Avery halted as Mark lowered himself to the ground. Jack got down next to him while Delirious watched with concern. Avery was looking around the area, straining her ears for any sound that might give away The Wraith's approach. Instead of The Wraith, she saw something strangely shaped, and then realized that it was the last generator.

"There it is!" she cried out.

Delirious followed her gaze. He too saw the generator, and looked back at Mark and Jack. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Mark nodded. "Yeah, just a little tired, is all." But he made himself stand again. "Let's get the hell out of here," he said.

Jack supported Mark a little as they walked over to the final machine. He, Delirious, and Avery took care of repairing it while Mark rested a little more. Avery stopped suddenly, and even over the sounds the generator was beginning to make she could hear it clearly as though it were right next to her ear.

 _Clang clang clang_

"Stop," she said, looking around.

Jack and Delirious paused and looked around. Mark was getting up again, so that he would be ready to run when needed. They all carefully scanned the area, looking for movement. Then Avery saw it.

"Run!" she cried when it came towards them.

Delirious went with Avery, while Jack took Mark and ran. Avery and Delirious stopped quickly when The Wraith chose to go after Mark and Jack. The monster closed the distance between them quickly and swung its staff.

"Jack!" Mark cried as Jack jumped between him and the killer, taking the hit.

Avery and Delirious ran over quickly as Mark tried to stop The Wraith from picking Jack up. But the monster pushed him aside and threw Jack over its shoulder. Delirious and Avery reached Mark as he got back onto his feet and started after The Wraith. This had turned into a rescue mission, and Mark knew what to do.

"What the-!" Delirious was a little startled when Mark threw his hand into his sweater pocket and pulled out the flashlight. Delirious looked as though he had forgotten himself that it was there.

Mark, despite the terrible pain it gave him, ran after The Wraith with Avery and Delirious behind him. Mark circled around The Wraith and turned the flashlight on. He aimed it in The Wraith's face, and the monster gave a roar of surprise and dropped Jack to shield its eyes from the sudden blinding light. Jack scrambled to his feet and bolted. He was so terrified that he didn't even realize where he was going. He just kept running.

When Jack finally came to a stop, he realized immediately that he'd left the others behind. He looked around, panting, for someone or something. Jack's heart was pounding loudly in his chest as he started walking in the direction that he thought the generator was. He didn't think he was going in the wrong direction until he came to a place he recognized.

The explosion sight. Excited, Jack kept going and came upon what he'd been hoping he would; the gate.

Back with Delirious, Avery, and Mark, they had managed to lose The Wraith and were once again back at the generator, though they were worried for Jack, who hadn't come back to help. Finally, the light came on and then Avery led Mark and Delirious in the direction of the gate she'd found. They passed the Killer's Shack, and then reached the place where the truck had exploded.

"Where's Jack?" Mark asked nervously.

"It looks like he's already at the gate." Avery said, pointing.

Mark and Delirious followed her gaze. The gate was now visible, and it was already open. And Jack was waiting for them outside it.

"Jack!" Mark gasped, relieved.

"Got it all ready for us," Jack said.

"I can see that," Avery said, examining the open gateway.

"Are we ready?" Delirious asked.

"For another nightmare?" Jack teased. "Sure."

Then Avery, Mark, Jack, and Delirious went through the gate, not looking behind them as they finally left Autohaven Wrecker's.


	13. A New Map And Monster

_**Welcome back for Part 2! This part is a little shorter than the other four, but it will still take the month to finish publishing it, so don't worry about such a long gap in between 2 and 3.**_

 _ **If you have any questions about something from Part 1, just comment it and I will get it answered.**_

* * *

 **Part 2**

 **Experience Of A Deathtime**

 **Publishing Schedule: Tuesday, Thursday**

* * *

A strangely delicious smell filled Jack's nose, and his eyes shot open. The last thing that he remembered was exiting through the gate in Autohaven Wrecker's, and now he was waking up here. Where was here, though? Jack sat up and looked around. He was in a cornfield, and Jack immediately knew that this time they would be facing Coldwind Farm. But what was that smell? Was it food? Jack stood up, and then with a horrible feeling of dread, he realized that he was alone.

Totally alone.

No Avery. No Mark. No Delirious.

Just Jack.

Where were they? He had to find them, and he needed to do that quickly. Being alone with a killer on the loose was never a good thing, but why had they been split apart? They all left together, so why weren't they starting the next map together? Jack shook his head, clearing these thoughts from it, and started following the smell that was making his mouth water.

Mark, however, was not greeted by the smell of cooked meat, but of rotten meat. His face became all scrunched up from the horrible stench as he opened his eyes and sat up. He was in the Slaughterhouse, and there were a few cow corpses hanging around him. Mark quickly ran outside the building, unable to withstand the sight or the smell. The sight may have been gone, but the smell still followed him. God, it was so gross!

Mark looked around what he could see of Coldwind Farm. Looked for a generator, a box, a hook, or even better; one of the others. That's what Mark knew he should look for, so he went off in search of Jack, Delirious, and Avery.

Delirious awoke inside the Silo. The whole thing was falling apart, and the stairs leading down into the basement were only yards away from him. Holding in a startled yelp, Delirious stood and started looking around quickly. The first thing he saw was a generator. That made sense, since there was usually one in the head of the fallen Silo. Delirious gave himself another minute or two to figure out what was going on. Why was he alone? Hadn't he left with the others at the same time? Or was this how the game was going to work; separating them all each time they escaped a map?

Once Delirious was calmed enough to move forward, he stooped over at the generator and began repairing it quickly, keeping an eye out and his ears open for the killer, which he was sure was The Hillbilly.

Avery had no idea where she was. She didn't recognize this part of Coldwind Farm. Or at least, not for a few moments. When she finally figured where she was, Avery made for the deck on the second floor. She was currently inside The Thompson House, and wasn't at all surprised when she found a staircase descending into the basement. Moving away from the stairs going down, she went to the stairs going up. Once out on the deck, she looked out over the visible area. She could see the Slaughterhouse not too far away, and thought that she also saw some movement over by it. Could it be The Hillbilly?

Or was it one of the others?

Avery quickly ran down the stairs again and crossed the ground outside. If it was one of the others, then she needed to get to them quickly. Avery was running so quickly that she almost passed right by a hook. Stopping to tear it down, Avery made sure that she didn't lose the direction of the Slaughterhouse.

Jack had reached the end of the cornfield. He looked around. There was a broken harvester lying in a pile, falling apart, nearby, and then a little farther away was a fallen Silo. The top of it was emitting an interesting white glow, and Jack made his way towards it. When he reached it, he found that the light was coming from a fully repaired generator. Getting excited, Jack started looking around him.

"Hello?" he called, hoping that whoever had fixed the generator was still around.

"Jack?" a familiar voice responded.

"H2O? Where are you?" Jack asked out.

"Behind you," Delirious said.

Jack spun around, partly startled. "Oh, hi," he gasped, relieved at the sight of the masked YouTuber.

"Hey," Delirious returned the greeting.

While Jack and Delirious were getting situated with a plan, Mark was in trouble. He was in a really bad situation at the moment, as he was now hiding frantically behind a dead tree, on the other side of which was The Hillbilly. It groaned and ambled by, its chainsaw hanging heavily at its side, and its hammer gripped tightly in the opposite hand.

Mark held his breath as he waited with crossed fingers for The Hillbilly to walk by. But it didn't. Not in the direction that Mark had wanted at least. It walked right by him, but it also saw him. Raising its hammer, Mark rolled out of the way as the head of the hammer was slammed into the dead tree bark.

Mark circled the tree and kept running, and, not to his surprise, The Hillbilly followed after him. What was surprising was that The Hillbilly was able to keep up with him without his chainsaw sprint. And then Mark quickly realized that the killer didn't need the unnatural boost of speed, because he was following quite easily. Mark's leg was giving him problems.

Avery was just finishing up with taking down the first hook when she heard a chainsaw revving. She looked around and spotted the disfigured killer. And it was chasing someone. Someone who had red hair and a slight limp in his run.

"Mark!" Avery gasped.

She clasped the black meat hook in her hand and ran towards Mark and The Hillbilly. She ran diagonally, so that she was keeping pace with Mark while still closing the distance between them.

"Mark! Over here!" Avery called, and when Mark saw her, he turned to run over.

Avery stopped and waited. When Mark finally reached her safely, she raised the hook in her hands defensively. With a yell, she charged forward, swinging the hook, the sharp end stabbing The Hillbilly's already bad leg. The monster let out a scream of pain that only grew louder when Avery ripped the hook out, taking Mark with her when she ran. Once they were sure that The Hillbilly had lost them, Mark and Avery stopped. They gave themselves a few minutes to catch their breath.

"Any sign of Jack or Delirious?" Avery asked Mark when she could breathe again. Mark shook his head before sitting down and lightly touching the bandages on his leg.

Avery watched him with some worry building up inside her. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Mark said, giving a nod. "It just hurts a little from the sudden run." He looked up at Avery for a moment before pushing himself to his feet again, keeping as much weight as possible off his right leg.

Avery looked around. "We should probably try to find the safe point," she said. "That way we'll have a place to go to when we find the others."

Mark nodded. "Any ideas as to where it might be located?" he asked.

Avery thought, then said," Coldwind Farm has the Killer's Shack on one of the areas, but there are also two other possible locations of the basement."

"Which are?" Mark prompted.

"The Silo or The Thompson House." Avery explained.

"So, should we try to locate each of these? You said yourself that there was no treehouse on Autohaven Wrecker's, but do you think that the safe point might actually be one of the basement's locations this time?" Mark asked.

"Exactly," Avery said, heading off. Mark followed her. "If anything, the basement would have to be at The Thompson House, leaving the Silo and the Shack open. I found a set a stairs descending below The Thompson House, so it would probably be best if we avoided that for now." she finished strategizing and she and Mark began their search.

Meanwhile, Jack was leading Delirious in the direction of the smell that was making his mouth water, though he still hadn't found the source of it.

"I'm telling you, it's gotta be that cow tree." Delirious was saying.

Jack rolled his eyes. Even if Delirious was right, Jack didn't know that. His stomach was rumbling with hunger, and the smell of cooked meat was only making it worse, especially since it was getting stronger.

"Ugh, that's disgusting!" Delirious exclaimed suddenly.

Jack looked back at him, though he didn't stop walking. "What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

Delirious had covered the mouth and nose part of his mask (as if it would do any good) and was complaining about something. "Can't you smell that?!" Delirious' voice sounded weird all of a sudden.

"Smell what?" Jack sniffed around. "All I smell is something good." he stated.

"You serious?!" Delirious exclaimed.

"Well, what does it smell like ta you, then?" Jack asked.

"I don't know, something like. . . like poison or something?" Delirious slipped his mask up a little to cover his actual mouth and nose. "Why do you smell cooked meat? That doesn't make any sense." he said through his hands.

"I have no idea," Jack said. He stopped when he caught a whiff of something strange.

It must be what Delirious was smelling, Jack assumed, because it didn't smell too great. Delirious was desperately trying to cover his face and block out the horrible stench.

"If you can't stand it, Delirious," Jack began, "then go somewhere else."

"What?! No!" Delirious gasped. "We still need to find Mark and Avery," he stated.

That was true, and Jack really didn't like the thought of Mark alone while injured.

"Okay, but where should we start looking?" Jack asked.

"How about somewhere it doesn't stink?" Delirious suggested with a hard tone.

So Jack and Delirious started moving away from the area, and to their relief, the stench started to fade. Delirious slipped his mask back over his entire face again. Jack was glancing in every direction, keeping an eye out for anything good or useful, and bad or dangerous. He saw something he wasn't expecting to see.

It looked to be the Killer's Shack, but the weirdest thing about it was the strange friendly kind of feel it gave off, especially since the shack was actually creepy looking. Jack and Delirious glanced at each other. By the look in Delirious' eyes behind his mask, Jack could tell that he felt it too; the inviting feeling wafting off the shack.

"Do you think we should. . . ?" Delirious started saying, but his voice fell quieter and it left him, leaving him silent.

Jack picked up a hint of fear. "It may be worth checking out," he said. Delirious nodded, but Jack saw him gulp. "You can wait out here for me if ye want ta."

He actually thought that Delirious would take that chance and say okay, but he shook his head.

"No," Delirious said. "I'm staying with you."

Although Delirious was saying this, Jack could still see that he was scared. "Hey," he said, hoping to help. "Yer not the only one who's afraid."

"Afraid!?" Delirious exclaimed. "I-I never said anything about being a-a-afraid!" Delirious turned his head away from Jack when his voice cracked on the last word. Jack blinked at him silently. It was a moment before Delirious finally said, "Yeah, I'll wait out here. Stand guard. . . I guess."

Jack gave a small huff of laughter. Even though Delirious was a couple years older than him, it would seem that Jack was the braver one. While Delirious was watching the area, Jack made his way inside.

The Killer's Shack was totally empty, which was really weird. Jack was getting the feeling that he was missing something, so he started looking around more carefully. The walls of the shack were bare, but when Jack scanned the floor, he saw something in the far corner that got his attention. Getting closer for a better look, Jack discovered that it was a hatch. Was this the escape hatch? Jack tried the handle. It lifted with his pull and the lid flew upward. A gust of air blasted into Jack's face before he looked into the hatch.

There was a staircase leading down somewhere, but Jack knew that it couldn't possibly be the basement, since that was back at the Silo.

"Hey, H2O! Come in here, I've found something!" Jack called outside.

Delirious must have guessed that since he was still alive, it was safe to come in, because he appeared behind Jack a second later. "What?" he asked, eyeing the hatch.

"Think we've found the safe point?" Jack looked up at Delirious, who shrugged. Jack looked back down into the hatch and, with a sigh, threw himself into it.

Jack slowly made his way down the short staircase as Delirious came through the hatch behind him. The room underneath the Killer's Shack was a little bigger than the treehouse had been, with an electric light attached to the ceiling. The walls were made from neatly stacked stones, and the floor was dark wooden paneling. Jack saw something white on one of the walls and went over to it. There was a large number eight written in jet black ink, and a single tally mark was drawn beneath it.

"Hey, Delirious, look at this," Jack said. Delirious came over and looked at the note in Jack's hand. "This is the hideout," Jack said.

Delirious looked around at the room again, then at Jack once more. "Apparently it is," he said. "But what happened with Mark and Avery? I can't help but feel worried," he added.

"Hmm," Jack thought for a moment. It was then that they both heard footsteps above them and looked up. "What is that? Is it The Hillbilly?" Jack wondered.

"I don't know," Delirious said. "I'll go check it out."

* * *

"What the hell is that?" Mark said suddenly.

Avery followed his gaze. He'd spotted a small building. The walls were gray and dirty, and there was a window in the one that Mark and Avery were facing. Avery's eyes widened suddenly with realization.

"It's the Killer's Shack!" she gasped, running towards it quickly.

Mark followed after her inside the small building, but found that the inside of it was totally empty. Not even a closet had been spawned inside.

"That's odd," Avery said.

"No kidding," Mark added, looking through the doorway again.

There was a sudden banging and both Mark and Avery jumped. In the corner, a hatch door had swung open and someone appeared in it.

"Delirious!" Avery cried, happy to see someone else she knew.

"Hey! You guys!" Delirious climbed out of the hatch. "You got here just in time," he said. "Jack and I just found the hideout."

"Great! We were just looking for it ourselves," Avery said.

Mark had already passed her and Delirious and gone down into the hideout. Avery and Delirious followed soon after and walked in on him and Jack hugging.

"Oh, sorry, are we interrupting something?" Delirious said, slight tease in his voice.

Mark and Jack separated quickly and turned to the two of them.

"No," Jack said quickly.

Mark gave an awkward cough.

Avery broke the awkward short lived silence. "So, how many generators are there this time?" she asked.

"Eight," Jack answered.

"Although I already got one, so it's now actually seven," Delirious said.

"Oh, even better," Avery said.

Mark, Jack, Delirious, and Avery got themselves comfortable on the floor and Avery started telling them ways to escape The Hillbilly.

"So, we all know that the Hillbilly can sprint with its chainsaw," she said. The others nodded. "But it can't make turns too well while it's doing that, so like Delirious did in his episodes of _Dead By Daylight_ gameplays, we dodge and weave," she explained.

Delirious sat a little straighter at Avery's words.

"What if there aren't any objects or obstacles around for us to weave around?" Jack asked.

Avery answered without a moment's thought. "Then you take a sharp turn out of The Hillbilly's path," she said. "You should even try to get behind the Hillbilly before making a full escape," she added.

"Delirious, did you close the hatch again?" Jack looked at Delirious, who looked back at him for a second before realizing he hadn't and jumping to his feet quickly.

"It won't matter, because if you guys want too, we can leave now to find some other generators," Avery said.

"I've been walking for too long, and running didn't really help either," Mark said.

Delirious went up the staircase and came back a moment later after having closed the hatch. "Now I'm wondering what the killers do when they can't find us anywhere?" he said.

Avery shrugged. "Just keep looking, I guess?"

"Well, we all know how many generators are left and what ta do at this point," Jack started.

"But I think that we should take some time to rest before going out again. Especially for Mark," Avery stated.

Jack looked at Mark. He saw that he didn't really like being thought of as weak at the moment, but Mark wasn't arguing. They were inside the hideout, so they were all safe until they left again. Worrying about the Hillbilly was something that the four of them could push aside for now.


	14. The Killed Killer

_**If you thought things were getting real in the last chapter . . .**_

* * *

After a while, Mark finally said that he was ready to go, and the group all stood to make their way outside. Avery, Delirious, Jack, and Mark all climbed up the short staircase and through the hatch into the Killer's Shack and waited for Delirious to say it was safe. He had volunteered to be the one to check out the surroundings first, and was now peeking out through the doorway outside into Coldwind Farm. He stepped out several feet, listening for any sounds other than the wind blowing through the overgrown, dead grass, and looking for any movement that would deem alerting.

"Okay, it's good," He said, looking back at the others.

Mark, Jack, and Avery came out behind him, and the group started going around, looking for a generator, hook, or a box where they might find possible supplies. Before they left, Avery had said that they should find something to stabilize them, like food and water. It had been decided that she would be on the lookout and search for the supplies, while Mark, Jack, and Delirious would do the rest.

They walked for awhile without seeing anything, until Jack spotted the cornfield.

"Hey, isn't there always a generator in The Rotten Fields?" he asked, looking at Avery.

She stopped and looked towards the yellow stalks. "Yeah, there always is," she said.

So the group started heading for the cornfield. It was when Mark stopped suddenly that Jack walked into him.

"Mark, why are you stopping?" he asked, very confused.

"There's a hook over there." Mark pointed to the left of the group.

Avery and Delirious stopped, too. They followed Mark's gaze and saw the hook as well. Avery and Mark went to tear it down, while Jack and Delirious patrolled a small section around them, looking for anything else.

"There's that smell again," Jack said, sniffing the air as Mark helped Avery on top of the pillar so she could get at the clip and binding holding the hook up.

"What smell?" Mark asked, looking towards Jack.

"Yeah, I smell it, too," Delirious said. "Still stinks, though."

"Maybe your nose is just different?" Jack suggested.

"What on earth is that supposed to mean?" Delirious demanded.

Jack shrugged. "Just a suggestion," he said.

"Got it!" Avery exclaimed suddenly, bringing Jack's and Delirious' attention to her and Mark.

Avery had just torn the binding off the pillar and the hook fell to the ground, landing with a hard _thunk_.

Avery jumped off the stand and picked up the hook. "So," she said. "we keep looking for the generator?"

"I guess so," Mark said.

Mark and Avery rejoined Jack and Delirious and kept going towards The Rotten Fields. Delirious was making weird noises as the smell grew stronger. Jack's mouth was watering again at the delicious smell of cooked meat, though.

"What is that smell? Is that what you're complaining about, Delirious?" Avery asked, turning around and walking backwards.

"Yes!" Delirious exclaimed, lifting his mask up and covering his mouth and nose again.

"I don't see what you're complaining about, Delirious. It's not that bad, actually," Avery stated.

"Does it smell like cooked meat to you?" Jack asked.

Avery nodded.

"I don't smell anything," Mark said.

Delirious, Avery, and Jack all stopped and stared at him.

"How are you not smelling that?" Delirious said beneath his hands.

"I don't know, I just don't," Mark explained awkwardly.

They kept walking until they came to the edge of the cornfield, where they stopped to look around.

"I think I'll wander around the cornfield in search of a box," Avery said. "You guys can look for the generator."

"You better keep that hook with you then, since you'll be alone," Delirious said. Avery nodded before she disappeared into the tall, yellow stalks of corn. "Let's go find that machine." Delirious started heading in the opposite direction.

Mark and Jack followed after him, and it wasn't long before they finally found the generator. They quickly got to work repairing it, pausing every now and then to listen out for any sounds indicating that The Hillbilly was nearby or that Avery was coming towards them again.

The generator gradually grew louder as Mark, Jack, and Delirious made more progress, and it eventually grew so loud that they barely heard the chainsaw nearby. Delirious was the first to realize what it was and he shot straight upward, somewhat startling Jack and Mark.

"It's here!" Delirious exclaimed, looking around wildly.

Mark and Jack stopped and looked around, too. The whirring was heard again, and then it grew louder. The Hillbilly suddenly burst out of the cornstalks, scaring the three half to death. Jack and Mark ran off in one direction, but as Delirious tried to follow, The Hillbilly blocked his path.

"Delirious!" Mark cried over to him.

"GO! I'll be fine!" Delirious called back, running in the opposite direction.

Mark and Jack were still for a moment before they finally remembered how to move and took off after Delirious and The Hillbilly. Delirious was trying to figure out how to lose the beast pursuing him, and it wasn't going well. The chainsaw suddenly whirred even louder, and the sound of it got far too close for comfort. Delirious jumped to one side, narrowly avoiding getting split in half by the deadly tool.

Delirious got to his feet again quickly, but The Hillbilly had recovered already and grabbed his hood, pulling him backward and throwing him back onto the ground. Delirious scrambled over the ground away from The Hillbilly as it stood over him, raising its hammer high above its head.

Delirious braced himself for an impact, but there wasn't any. He opened his eyes again and saw that Mark and Jack had appeared and were distracting The Hillbilly, giving Delirious the time to stand up again.

The Hillbilly roared in fury, and then it slipped its hammer into a belt around its waist and reached out with the now free hand. Its long fingers closed on the back of Mark's head and it threw him forward. The impact to the ground left Mark stunned momentarily, and he went still.

"Mark!" Jack cried, racing forward to get Mark out of danger.

The Hillbilly turned on Jack as he reached Mark, but Delirious ran up and leaped onto the monster's shoulders. The Hillbilly roared in confusion and fury, swinging around madly. Eventually, Delirious was knocked off and he fell onto the ground. The air was knocked out of him, and in the moment that it took for him to recover, The Hillbilly had pulled its hammer out again.

Delirious let out a cry of pain when the hard end of the hammer was slammed onto his left arm. He clutched it with his other hand and tried to stand once more, but when he rolled over, The Hillbilly placed one foot on his back, holding him against the ground.

Jack had just gotten Mark to a safer location, a little distance away from where The Hillbilly and Delirious were, and now he was running back to assist Delirious with the monster. What he found almost made him scream, but he held it in.

The Hillbilly had set down its chainsaw, but it was too heavy for Jack to pick up, so he didn't even try. Besides, it was too close to The Hillbilly anyways. The Hillbilly had set its chainsaw down and picked up Delirious by the back of his sweater, and it had grabbed his shirt underneath as well, making it harder for Delirious to escape. The Hillbilly twisted its wrist around so that Delirious was forced to look into its ugly face. The monster raised its hammer high above its head again, and Delirious knew that he could be killed if it was aimed at his head.

Delirious swung a bit and kicked his leg up, the bottom of his shoe landing flat in The Hillbilly's face.

"H2O, catch!" Jack yelled suddenly.

Delirious looked in Jack's direction in time to see a hook flying towards him and reached out and caught it in his hand. Jack must have spotted it nearby and quickly dismantled it for a weapon.

The Hillbilly was about to try swinging at Delirious again, but Delirious made his move first. He raised the hook and quickly brought it down, the pointed end of it sinking into the top of The Hillbilly's head. The monster paused, as though it hadn't yet registered what had just happened. Delirious started kicking at The Hillbilly's chest, pulling on the hook at the same time. There was a horrible ripping noise as The Hillbilly's head was torn off.

Delirious was dropped to ground and the hook landing next to him, the head still on it. The Hillbilly's mangled corpse landed with a loud _thud_ and was still. Jack stared in shock at the limp form of the killer, and then looked at Delirious, who was just as shocked.

Then, to their utter bewilderment, The Hillbilly's corpse began to melt. It turned into what looked to be thick, black oil before seeping into the ground. The spot where the body had been just seconds before was left spotless, clean, as though nothing had ever happened.

"What the hell was that?!" Jack and Delirious looked over to see Mark had managed to stand up, and he was staring at the now clear area with wide eyes.

"Mark, are you okay?" Jack asked out of concern.

Delirious stood up, grabbed the now-headless hook, and walked over to Jack and Mark. He saw now that Mark's forehead had a bloody gash, the red liquid was staining the side of his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But what just happened?" Mark asked, looking between Jack and Delirious.

"There you guys are." Avery suddenly appeared out of the cornstalks, making Jack, Mark, and Delirious jump. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to startle you." She apologized. Then Avery noticed that Mark was bleeding, and that Delirious was holding his left arm. "What happened to you guys?" she asked.

"We were attacked by The Hillbilly." Jack explained. "Mark got hurt, and H2O managed to kill it."

Avery looked at Delirious with a shocked expression. "Wait, you what?!" she gasped.

"Killed the fucking killer," Delirious said, crossing his arms triumphantly.

"Wow, I didn't realize we could do that." Avery seemed unable to comprehend what she was hearing.

"What's in the bag, Avery?" Mark asked, motioning to the backpack over Avery's shoulders.

"Oh, I found some stuff we need. Did you guys find a generator?" Avery asked.

"Yeah, but we never finished it. The Hillbilly showed up and we had that epic showdown," Delirious explained.

"Oh, well, let's get back to the hideout for now," Avery said.

Mark, Jack, and Delirious followed Avery back to the Killer's Shack and through the hatch into the hideout, where Avery split up the food and water rations that had been inside the bag she'd found. There had also been a first-aid kit with it all, so Avery patched Mark's head up, too.

"So, I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark here and guess that The Hillbilly won't be gone forever and leaving us with freerun of the entire map." Avery said.

"That would be nice, though. Wouldn't have to worry about getting killed or anything like that." Jack put in.

"Yeah, but then this would all be too easy." Avery sighed. "Mark, stop picking at it!" she exclaimed suddenly.

Jack and Delirious looked over to Mark, where he was rubbing the patch over his head wound.

"But it's so bothersome. . . It itches!" Mark complained.

"They always are at first, but you'll get used to it after a while." Avery explained.

"How do you know all this?" Jack asked.

"I got hurt a lot when I was younger, and my mom is also a doctor, so I know a lot of first-aid stuff, too," Avery said. "So, I'm the one to come to if any of you get hurt."

"Oh, that's very helpful," Jack said enthusiastically, glad that there was something to count on.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Delirious asked.

They had already eaten a small portion of their rations of food, so at least they had some extra energy, now.

"Well, I don't know how long The Hillbilly might be out of commission, so let's try to fix as many generators as possible in a short amount of time." Avery suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Delirious said.

"Just ta be sure," Jack started. Avery and Delirious looked at him, while Mark slipped his hands underneath him so that he wouldn't start picking at the patch on his forehead again. "Let's take a hook or two with us this time so that if The Hillbilly does reappear, we'll be able to defend ourselves."

"Good idea," Avery said.

"Can we go, then? Because my own hands are driving me crazy, now," Mark said.

Avery stood up, and Delirious followed, and soon Mark and Jack were going after them through the hatch.


	15. Day Two Discussions And Expeditions

_**And things start to get real.**_

* * *

Jack came out of his peaceful sleep slowly, and it took him a few seconds to realize where he was. He was in the hideout beneath the Killer's Shack on Coldwind Farm. Jack sighed. He'd actually been hoping to find himself in his apartment again, and that all of this had just been a dream. But it was all real.

Just like what had happened several hours earlier was all real and had actually happened. After The Hillbilly had been killed by Delirious, the four of them had all gone out to find and repair as many generators as possible in a short amount of time. The group never managed to relocate the generator in The Rotten Fields, but they had found four others and gotten those working again. One other thing that the group had done was discover what the delicious/disgusting smell was.

Delirious had been right. It had been coming off the cow tree. When Jack had seen the ripped up cow corpses, he'd actually gotten sick for a moment.

Jack sat up and looked over at Mark, who was still asleep. Avery and Delirious were, too. Jack squinted at the watch around Avery's wrist.

5:09am, it read.

This was the second time that Jack was seeing that number. Last time it had been pm, and according to Avery, it had been a little before 5am when she woke up inside the game the first time. That meant that with the game's time span, it had been at least twenty-four hours. A full day had now passed, and it left Jack wondering what was going on in the real world. Back home.

Jack stood up and went outside for a minute or two before heading back into the hideout. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor.

What was happening back home? Avery had said that what was written in the Journal was that their actual bodies were left behind, each in a coma. Jack had broken up with his girlfriend several months earlier after he'd realized who the person he was truly in love with was, so he lived alone. It was also written in the Journal that if they died inside the game, they were also dead in the real world. Everything would then be over if that happened.

Jack glanced over at Mark again, who was still sleeping soundly. A sudden thought occurred to Jack and he felt his eyes well up with tears.

Mark stirred and blinked open his eyes. The first thing he saw was the stone wall. The first thing he heard was a faint sob. He turned over and saw the spot where Jack had gone to sleep was empty, but he quickly found Jack at the base of the steps. His legs were pulled up against his chest, and Jack was holding his arms curled around his knees. Jack also had his head resting on his arms, and it didn't look like he'd noticed that Mark was awake yet.

Mark felt something in his chest hurt when he heard another sob from Jack. Slowly, Mark got to his feet and went over to Jack. When Mark sat down next to Jack, he raised his head for a moment before returning it to its previous position.

"Hey," Mark said.

"Hi," Jack replied quietly, his voice wavering. He didn't lift his head up again, though.

"You want to tell me what's wrong?" Mark asked softly after a few seconds.

Jack sniffed. "I miss. . . I miss home," he said hesitantly.

Mark looked at the still sleeping forms of Avery and Delirious, then at the floor in front of him. "I'm sure we all do, Jack." Mark looked once again at his best friend.

Jack lifted his head again slowly and turned his gaze on Mark. A few tears slipped from his eyes and Mark wiped them away with his hand.

"What. . ." Jack paused for a moment to collect himself before starting again. "What do you think is going on back home?" he asked.

Mark hadn't actually thought about it before. The subject hadn't really come to mind ever since he'd woken up inside the game the first time.

"Well," Mark thought about how to answer Jack's question. "I can imagine that our friends and families are worried," he said finally.

Jack let out a shaky sigh. "I'm afraid. . ." he stopped to wipe his eyes of tears.

"Afraid of what?" Mark asked, keeping his voice soft.

"Afraid of dying," Jack answered.

"We all are," Mark stated.

"I'm not just afraid of dying myself, but I'm also scared that one of you will get killed." Jack admitted, lowering his head a little.

Mark moved a little closer to Jack. "I won't let that happen, Jack," he said. "I'll make sure that nothing will happen to me or the others."

Jack looked up at Mark with a small smile. He liked hearing Mark say that he was going to protect him, but Jack wanted to do the same for Mark. "We have to protect each other," he said.

"That would be logical." Mark thought out loud.

Jack gave a small laugh. "Yeah, I guess so," he said.

Mark and Jack sat in silence for a couple of minutes, before Mark brought something up that surprised Jack a little.

"Remember when we played _Dead By Daylight_ with Bob and Wade?" he asked.

"Yeah, I do," Jack said.

"Best moment in my opinion would probably have to be when Bob discovered that he could get stuck in his own traps," Mark said, looking back to that moment.

Jack thought back as well, and another small smile formed on his lips. Then it disappeared a second later. "I don't really want anything to do with this game anymore," he said.

Mark looked at him. "Neither do I, really," he said.

"So, after we get out of this mess, we'll never have anything to do with this game again?" Jack decided.

Mark nodded. "Why would anyone want to play any game after they were trapped inside of it for who knows how long?" he said.

"We've been here for about a day," Jack explained. "In the game's time at least."

"That's a long time," Mark said. "I suddenly wonder how much time has passed back home by now?" his eyes went blank with thought.

"Let's just assume that it's doubled," Jack said. Mark looked at him in confusion, so Jack explained. "Like, say that for every twelve hours here, twenty-four have passed back home."

"Oh, that would make sense. But then that would also mean that two days have passed already." Mark pointed out.

Jack sighed. "I know."

"Hey, you want to know something?" Mark asked.

"What?" Jack looked into Mark's dark brown eyes. He felt his heart flutter at how deeply that Mark seemed to be looking back at him.

Delirious groaned slightly and blinked open his eyes. He was hearing something he thought he never would in a place like this; laughter. He turned over and saw that it was Jack talking to Mark.

"Morning," he yawned. "Or is it afternoon?" he asked a second later.

"It's morning. Like, five twenty in it," Jack said.

"Holy shit, time has passed. How long does that mean we've been here? A day?" Delirious asked, sitting up and stretching.

"Yeah, about a day." Mark confirmed.

"Sorry if we woke you." Jack apologized.

"No, that's okay. I feel rested enough," Delirious said, adjusting his mask so it was straight. He looked over at Avery, who was still asleep. She looked as though she wouldn't be woken by anything but herself, so Delirious asked, "What now?"

"Well, we could go out and look for tha generator in the cornfield." Jack suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me. We never did find it," Mark said.

He stood up and Jack pushed himself onto his feet again. He wobbled a little for a moment from a head rush before he was steady again. Mark and Jack headed out first, and Delirious looked back at Avery one last time before following after them. They climbed out of the hatch and went outside, stopping to think about which direction they had gone when they found The Rotten Fields.

"Which way was it?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. This way?" Mark guessed looking to the left.

Delirious was examining the surrounding area closely, thinking back to that first trip out. "No, I believe that it's this way," he said, heading straight.

"You sure?" Jack asked.

"No." Delirious admitted. He looked around once more and spotted a way up the Killer's Shack. He went over and started pulling himself up to the roof. Once he reached it, he was shocked by how much of Coldwind Farm he could see. The Silo was just barely visible in the distance, and the large fire by the cow tree was easy to notice from here. Delirious turned in a circle, taking in the view and surrounding areas.

"Well? H2O, what do ya see?" Jack called up to him.

"Practically everything!" Delirious replied. "Holy fuck." he added quietly to himself. Delirious then spotted something he was hoping that he wouldn't see. The Hillbilly. "Uh, guys, we have a bit of a problem." he called down to Mark and Jack.

"What? Can you not see The Rotten Fields from up there?" Mark asked.

"No, I can see them, just over there." Delirious pointed to his right. "But it looks like Avery was right about us not getting the freerun of the map. The Hillbilly is back."

Mark and Jack looked at each other, then back up at Delirious, who was now climbing down the Killer's Shack.

"Where is it right now?" Jack asked.

"Around the Silo, which isn't too close to the fields, but it still worries me," Delirious said.

"How does that layout make sense? Why would they build the corn Silo far from the cornfield?" Jack asked.

"If I remember correctly, the Silo and The Rotten Fields are two different maps." Delirious said.

"Well, then let's just hope that fookin' monster won't catch up to us anytime soon," Jack said nervously.

Mark and Delirious agreed and Delirious led them towards The Rotten Fields. They walked past the empty hook pillar from earlier, and when they came to the edge of the cornstalks, they decided to spread out a little, so that they might find the generator sooner. Jack wandered around, listening for the rumbling that the generator would be making, since it was nearly repaired.

"Hey, guys! It's over here!" Mark called to them suddenly.

Jack headed towards Mark's voice, nearly running straight into Delirious when he stopped. The generator was making its usual rumbling that indicated the repairs done to it, and Jack suddenly realized how quiet it actually was from a distance. They wouldn't have been able to hear it unless they were really close to the machine.

Jack and Delirious started helping Mark fix the generator. Delirious was the one who kept his ears open and listening for any sound that would signal The Hillbilly being nearby. Finally, the light above the generator came on and Mark, Jack, and Delirious ran from the scene. They must have gone in a different direction, because the scenery when they came out of the cornfield was different.

"Where to now?" Jack asked.

"Might be best if we went back to the hideout." Mark said carefully, as he looked around cautiously.

Delirious knew why Mark had this sudden sense of caution. He could feel another presence around them, and it obviously wasn't Jack.

"We better hurry, though." Delirious said.

"Yeah, but how do we get back?" Jack whispered, picking up on Mark's and Delirious' quietness.

"We could try going back through the corn?" Delirious suggested.

Mark and Jack were silent. They didn't know what would be the best option, since it was obvious that The Hillbilly was closing in on them. Even Delirious was unsure now, and he could feel his heart beating faster in chest. Then they heard the whirring.

"Run!" Delirious said quickly, trying to keep his voice quiet even as he shouted.

"Where?!" Jack demanded as he, Mark, and Delirious started off in a random direction.

"I don't know! Anywhere will do as long as we can lose it," Delirious panted.

That was all that Jack needed to hear, because he started running with Mark right behind him towards what looked like the Slaughterhouse. They stopped to catch their breath after checking to make sure that The Hillbilly wasn't following, but when they looked around properly, they also realized that Delirious was no longer with them.

"Where did he go?" Jack looked around.

"He's over there." Mark pointed suddenly to the other side of the Slaughterhouse.

Delirious was crouched behind a small stone fence, and The Hillbilly was prowling around the other side of it. Mark and Jack quickly ducked out of sight and made their way towards Delirious. He saw them and held out his hand, telling them to stop. Mark and Jack got out of the way and Delirious looked over the wall one last time before going to join them.

"He found us quick, so I tried to get him away from you guys while you ran." Delirious explained.

"Doesn't seem to have mattered, though," Jack said.

"Not if we can't get away unseen." Delirious pointed out.

"Well, it's too late for that," Mark said quickly. "Run!" he screamed.

The Hillbilly had found them and the three of them got out of the way of its chainsaw in time before getting hit. The chainsaw scraped the wall and The Hillbilly took a moment to recover. Mark, Jack, and Delirious were running through the Slaughterhouse, dodging around the hanging corpses of gutted cows, until they reached the opposite door, where they quickly went around the side and pressed themselves against the wall.

The Hillbilly was stalking around the dead cows hanging from the ceiling, and it was glaring angrily at each one, as though everything had always been its fault. Jack started inching down the wall, making his way towards the corner where he would be able to break and run. Delirious quickly figured out what he was doing, signaled for Mark to follow, and copied Jack.

But then The Hillbilly came around the corner and spotted the three of them. It reached out quickly and grabbed a hold of Mark's arm, pulling him back towards itself. Mark's surprised cry made Delirious and Jack stop. Delirious made to grab Mark's other hand, but The Hillbilly had already pulled him too far away. It started dragging Mark by his arm instead of carrying him over its shoulder and went back through the Slaughterhouse.

Jack ran around the building to try and cut The Hillbilly off while Delirious followed it through the Slaughterhouse. He tried to grab Mark again, but somehow The Hillbilly pulled ahead and took Mark just out of reach. Mark was clawing at the monster's hand in attempts to pry it off his arm, but The Hillbilly only seemed to hold tighter.

The Hillbilly reached the other side of the Slaughterhouse where Jack appeared in front of it. The Hillbilly was stopped short for several seconds at the sudden appearance.

Those few seconds were enough for Delirious to get close. He started prying at The Hillbilly's long, boney fingers, and even managed to loosen them.

But it wasn't enough.

The Hillbilly recovered and swung at Jack, but missed. Then it turned around and threw an attack at Delirious with its hammer.

Delirious ducked in time, avoiding a hard blow to the head. The Hillbilly picked Mark up by the ankle, hanging him just inches above the ground. It was by his left foot, so it wasn't causing Mark too much pain, but it still hurt.

"No you don't!" Delirious shouted, leaping forward and grabbing the hammer as The Hillbilly raised it.

Jack came up from behind and grabbed the arm that was holding Mark. The Hillbilly roared in confusion, swinging its head back and forth from Mark to Jack to Delirious. Delirious ripped the hammer from The Hillbilly's hand, but he pulled away with too much force and fell backwards, the hammer sliding a foot or two over the blood covered floor. The Hillbilly was distracted by this long enough to give Jack a chance to do something. He took the hammer from Delirious before The Hillbilly could reach it and threw it at the monster's arm. It dropped Mark and quickly retrieved its weapon before running at Jack.

Delirious was on his feet again, and he was getting Mark back on his own. Once the two of them were standing again, they ran from the Slaughterhouse once they were sure that Jack could escape and was following them close behind.

"How do we know where to go?!" Mark panted as they ran.

"We don't!" Delirious gasped. "Just keep running!"

Jack glanced behind them to see how far apart from The Hillbilly they were, but a second later he wished he hadn't; it was right behind them, charging up fast.

"Look out!" he shouted the warning and Mark and Delirious immediately split, taking a sharp turn in opposite directions.

Jack doubled back, getting out of The Hillbilly's way in time. He went to run after Mark when a splitting pain exploded in his side, just under his arm. He gasped with pain as he forced himself to ignore it and keep running onwards. He was glad when he realized that The Hillbilly was no longer following him, but frustrated with himself because now he was lost in The Rotten Fields.

Delirious and Mark had met up again, and were now looking for Jack. They had found and crossed through The Rotten Fields and knew how to get back to the hideout from there, but they wouldn't without Jack. For all they knew, The Hillbilly could have gotten a hold of him and Jack could already be dead.

"Jack?!" Mark called out.

"There yeh are!" Delirious and Mark turned to see Jack stepping out of the corn.

"Was the thing behind you?" Delirious asked.

Jack shook his head. "No, it looks like it lost us," he said.

Mark let out a relieved sigh. "Well, then we should really get back. Avery could be awake and wondering where we are. She might go looking for us," he said.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, we don't want that. Causing Avery to panic is the last thing we need to do right now."

Mark, Delirious, and Jack started heading back to the hideout, and were thankful that they didn't meet The Hillbilly again.

When they got back, they found that Avery was just waking up.


	16. Unwanted Mayhem

_**OMG! I almost forgot to publish this chapter! oAo**_

 _ **But I didn't! So yay! :D**_

 _ **I will say this right now, just so I don't forget and as a warning. You guys may or may not start to hate me after this chapter... Just so you know...**_

* * *

Avery awoke to the sound of thudding footsteps. She opened her eyes and sat up, rubbing them of sleep. She saw Mark, Jack, and Delirious coming off the stairs and looked at them in slight confusion.

"Did you guys go somewhere?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

Jack opened his mouth to answer, but what came out wasn't words, but a cry of pain. He fell to his knees with one hand holding him up and the other was placed on his ribcage.

"Jack!?" Mark exclaimed, getting on the floor next to him.

Avery flew to her feet and helped Mark assist Jack into the open area of the room. They placed him against the wall and he was suddenly breathing heavily, and each breath sounded pained and forced.

"Jack, what happened?!" Avery demanded as Delirious brought the first-aid kit over.

"We. . . we went out ta find that-" Jack was cut off by another stab of pain in his side.

"We went to look for the generator in The Rotten Fields and finish repairing it. We managed to do that, but we got attacked by The Hillbilly. That's all I know. Jack must have gotten hit or something." Mark explained.

Avery took the kit from Delirious and gently touched the spot where Jack was holding his hand.

"Feels like a broken rib or two. Jack, does it hurt anywhere else?" Avery looked into Jack's eyes.

Jack shook his head. Delirious stood back to give Avery room, but Mark stayed close to Jack's other side.

"Okay, Jack, just try to slow your breathing." Avery instructed.

Jack's breath grew slower and he winced in pain every time he inhaled.

"Just try to keep it slow and steady, Jack. If it starts to hurt then let the air out," Avery said.

She took out a small bandage from the first-aid kit and taped it over the bleeding scratch on Jack's chest where he'd been hit. The pain had subsided some, but Jack could still feel it, and moving just a little made it slightly worse.

"I don't think that I can walk right now," He said. "It hurts just ta move."

Avery was quiet for a moment as she thought, and then she looked over at the note with the number eight written on it. There were six marks, which left two generators to go.

Avery looked back at Jack. "Then you don't have to," she said. "Mark, Delirious, and I can go out and find the last two generators while you stay here and rest. Unless one of you want to stay as well?" Avery looked at Mark and Delirious.

"No, I'm fine," Jack said. "I'm okay on my own."

"You sure?" Mark asked.

Jack could tell that he didn't want to leave him alone. Probably considering what happened on Autohaven Wrecker's when he'd stayed back at the treehouse alone to rest while Jack and Delirious had both gone out to look for Avery.

"Yes, I'm sure." Jack insisted. "Besides, the sooner we have the last generators fixed, the sooner we can get the fook out of here." he added.

"I can't argue with that," Delirious said.

Avery sighed. "Not really."

"We won't be gone long, though, right?" Mark asked, looking at Avery.

"I guess that we could make it as quick as we can," she said.

Avery made her way towards the stairs and started heading up, stopping halfway up the staircase. Delirious waited at the bottom. Mark looked at Jack and sighed. Jack let his head rest against the wall behind him and closed his eyes.

Mark followed Avery and Delirious out of the hideout again and closed the hatch behind him.

In a short amount of time, Jack gradually dozed off, and when he woke up again later the pain in his chest was gone. Carefully, Jack moved a little to test out his side. He was able to stand up without much pain, and made it over to the stairs before there was a small twinge of pain.

Jack didn't know how much time had passed since Mark, Avery, and Delirious had left, but he wanted to find and help them now that he could move. Jack went up the steps and out the hatch, stopping to look around once outside the Killer's Shack. He had no idea which way the others could have gone, and since he also didn't know how much time had passed, Jack had no idea how far they would have gone, either.

Jack circled the shack a few times, trying to figure out the surrounding area. Behind the shack was what looked like a wall, so Jack guessed that it was in one of the corners of the map. What helped with the theory was the wall on the next side going the other direction. For some reason, Jack felt a sudden curiosity to see what was in the very corner, so he started heading towards the small point where the two walls connected.

He looked back and found that the Killer's Shack was quickly getting a distance away, and began to wonder when Mark, Avery, and Delirious would return. What if they didn't? What if Mark didn't? Jack shook his head and pushed the thought away. He couldn't let himself think about Mark getting hurt. . . or worse.

Jack finally reached the wall's connecting point and stopped. He examined the small area and discovered a generator nearby. It wasn't at all worked on, so obviously no one had yet found it. But now Jack had found it, and he quickly went over to it and kneeled down next to the machine. He started re-attaching the wires and the generator gradually began to rumble as it started to work.

Jack finished the wires and moved on to the loose bolts and screws, testing them until he was sure that they were tightened. Once all of the other pieces were fixed, and the generator's light came on above him, Jack started heading back to the shack. Now that he was back in the hideout, he was wondering if the others would still be looking for another generator after fixing the last one. All that Jack could do right now was wait for them to come back.

* * *

Avery, Mark, and Delirious left the Killer's Shack with Jack still inside the hideout behind them as they went out to search for the final generators. They passed the already dismantled hook near the shack, and tried to decide which way to go.

"We could head towards The Thompson House, or we could take the Silo." Avery was saying.

"I took care of the generator inside the Silo," Delirious said.

Avery looked as though she were thinking hard, trying to remember where the generators were often found on the different areas on the Coldwind Farm map. Her expression brightened when something suddenly came to mind. "We could try the cow tree. There's sometimes one over there," she said.

Mark and Delirious looked at each other.

"But. . . where is that tree?" Delirious looked around them.

"I have no idea. Which is weird, because we passed it awhile ago!" Avery exclaimed.

Mark was looking into the distance, and then he suddenly got it. "I think it was that way." He pointed in the opposite direction of the shack.

Delirious and Avery followed his gaze.

"Seems that way," Delirious said. "I mean, The Rotten Fields are there, and the shack is back that way. We had been walking straight for a while when we came across the tree." He gestured in the direction of the cornfield and the shack when he mention them and then looked back at Avery.

"All right, then I guess that we're going this way?" she said uncertainly.

Delirious and Mark didn't move.

"Delirious, why don't you lead the way since you seem to know where we're going?" Avery suggested.

Delirious shrugged. "Okay, I don't see why not," he said and started walking in the direction of the cow tree.

Mark and Avery followed him, looking out for The Hillbilly as they walked. After a while, they came across small ruins of what must have once been a storage shed for the tractor or something. They would have normally paid no mind to it, since they already knew that the generator wasn't there, because they had looked, but not hard enough. The found no generator, but had also looked over a hook placed in the middle of the collapsed brick walls.

"How did we miss that?" Mark wondered.

"Who knows. Maybe we're blind with some things?" Avery shrugged.

Delirious was growing nervous for some reason. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was getting a strange feeling in his gut, like something was about to happen. Something bad. He wanted to tell Mark and Avery, but instead kept it to himself and joined them in taking the hook down. He helped Mark lift Avery onto the stand where she started playing with the clip to undo it.

"You okay, Delirious?" Mark asked suddenly, causing Delirious to jump a little.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine." Delirious lied. "Why?" he asked, looking at Mark carefully.

"You seem a bit. . . I don't know. . ." Mark tried to think of the word. "Anxious, maybe?" he shrugged at himself.

"I. . ." Delirious kept looking around them nervously. "I don't know. I just don't feel safe in this area for some reason," he said.

Avery rolled her eyes and huffed. "None of us are safe outside the hideout, Delirious," she said.

Delirious gave her an embarrassed laugh. "Right. . ." he looked at the ground.

"God damnit! The stupid strap is all tangled up and shit," Avery grumbled.

Mark and Delirious both looked straight up at her. "Did you just swear?" the both asked at the same time.

Avery flattened herself against the stand as she laughed. Mark and Delirious had looked at each other quickly before looking back at Avery. Avery pushed herself up again and wiped her eyes.

"Holy crap!" she gasped. "Just hearing you two talk at once is somehow hilarious!" she said.

"Well, you kinda shocked us, Avery!" Delirious exclaimed.

"You're both so ridiculous," Avery said, letting out a long breath. "I swear all the time. My parents have nothing against it."

"Oh," Mark felt like an idiot all of a sudden.

Avery was about to start untangling the binding when they all heard it. The chainsaw. Avery quickly jumped down from the stand and stood between Mark and Delirious, who were looking around.

"I knew that something wasn't right." Delirious mumbled.

The whirring grew louder, and then the three of them spun around when it came up behind them. The Hillbilly was charging, and it swung its chainsaw madly. Mark, Delirious, and Avery scattered, sending The Hillbilly into desperate confusion. It finally chose to go after Avery, but turned back to chase Mark, and then Avery again.

Delirious had run after The Hillbilly, and then it turned to chase him. Just like Delirious wanted. He was giving Mark and Avery a chance to get back together before they came to help him out of his situation. Delirious knocked over a pallet, stopping The Hillbilly in its tracks. There were only two openings to enter the small clearing of what must have once been the inside of the shed, and both had a pallet leaned up in them. The Hillbilly went around the building, but Delirious knocked the other pallet over before it got to the opening. He quickly hid inside a closet that was standing in the corner and held his breath.

Mark and Avery, once they realized that Delirious had led The Hillbilly away, had met up again, and were now sneaking back to the hook. They found it again, but froze when the sound of stomping feet reached their ears. Mark and Avery ducked behind one of the walls, looking over the top of a gap that was once a window.

The Hillbilly was growling as it ambled around the half dismantled hook, stopping every now and then to look around. With no other choice, Mark and Avery turned around and snuck away again, going unseen by the enemy. They stopped by the edge of the cornfield, which was close by the collapsed tractor shed.

"What do we do?" Mark asked.

"I don't know," Avery said. "I do know that we need to find Delirious."

"Yeah, but where is he?" Mark looked around. "He led The Hillbilly away from us, but where did he go after that?" Mark said. "Hope he's okay. . ."

Delirious was standing as silently as he could inside the closet. He could now hear The Hillbilly's chainsaw whirring loudly around him, coming from a different direction with every second that passed. He heard wood breaking, and knew that The Hillbilly had broken one of the pallets. Delirious held his breath once more and gulped. He heard the other pallet get smashed to pieces, and then it was quiet.

Delirious could not only feel, but also hear his heart pounding against his chest, and was starting to sweat from fear. He was even shaking a little as the footsteps of The Hillbilly thudded just outside the closet. The thumping of his heart got slightly harder every time that the footsteps stopped, and Delirious had to hold in a sigh of relief each time nothing happened and the footsteps resumed.

He wasn't out of danger yet.

The loud thuds of The Hillbilly's footsteps grew louder, and then they stopped. Delirious shut his eyes tightly when all fell quiet. They shot open again when he heard the closet's doors get thrown open. The Hillbilly saw him, and Delirious let out a shriek when it slammed its hammer into the back of the closet, landing it just centimeters from Delirious' face.

Instead of grabbing Delirious by his shirt and throwing him over its shoulder like all the killers did, The Hillbilly let go of its hammer, which was embedded in the wood of the closet, and then it quickly wrapped its long fingers around Delirious' throat. It lifted him up and out of the closet, and Delirious was shocked by the monster's strength as he grabbed its wrist, trying to pull its hand off his throat.

The Hillbilly stared Delirious right in the eyes, simply watching as he choked. Then, just as Delirious felt lightheaded from lack of oxygen, The Hillbilly spun on the spot and threw him to the ground. Delirious rolled several feet before coming to a stop. He was gasping for air and wasn't able to recover before The Hillbilly picked him up again. Only this time by the hood of his sweater.

Delirious began to slip his arms through the sleeves so that he might escape, but The Hillbilly made its next move too quickly. It had yanked its hammer out of the closet, and was now holding it so that the sharpened end of the handle was facing up. The Hillbilly stuck its arm outward and then swung over Delirious' front. He screamed in pain as the splintered wood ripped his T-Shirt and cut the skin beneath, staining his shirt red with blood.

Mark and Avery heard the cry of pain, and knew immediately that Delirious was in trouble. They quickly started running towards the scream, hoping that they weren't too late.

The Hillbilly dropped Delirious back onto the ground, where he tried to cover his bleeding wound with his hands. The Hillbilly kicked Delirious so that he rolled over onto his stomach, and then picked him up by the back of sweater, also clenching the shirt underneath. The monster placed him over his shoulder and started walking.

Delirious began to panic. His front hurt bad, and he was being carried away by The Hillbilly.

"HAAAAALLLLPPP! MARK! AVERY! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU GUYS!?" Delirious began kicking the Hillbilly and pounded his fists against the monster's back, hoping that it would do _something_. "PUT ME DOWN YOU BITCH!" Delirious raged, pressing his hands flat against The Hillbilly's thick back and pushing.

He was trying to squeeze himself out of the killer's grip, but it was all hopeless. Delirious looked around wildly, his heart pounding painfully now against his ribcage, his breath growing uneven with panic, and his voice getting hoarse from yelling.

"GUYS, PLEASE! I REALLY COULD USE YOUR HELP RIGHT NOW! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Delirious shouted.

He started struggling madly against The Hillbilly's hold, and it was then that he looked ahead of it. His eyes widened with terror as he spotted the menacing black hook just yards away, growing closer by the second as The Hillbilly went towards it.

"HEEEEELLLLPPP!" Delirious tried again, but no one was coming. He couldn't see Avery or Mark anywhere.

Avery and Mark were desperately searching for Delirious, they had found the shed ruins again, but were unsure of where they were supposed to go next.

Delirious knew that it was all about to be over.

No one was coming to save him.

Because the people who could save him, couldn't _find_ him.

* * *

 _ **Another reason you may hate me is because of my publishing schedule. Now you have to wait until next Tuesday :D**_

 _ **But hey. At least I'm not going by my previous plans for the publishing schedule, which was only on Mondays. Be happy it's 4 days and not a full week! |**_ **:(**


	17. Hooked

Delirious was frantic as The Hillbilly stopped walking, and he knew that it was too late to be saved when the monster adjusted its grip, lowering its hands so it was holding Delirious around his waist. Delirious made one last attempt to save himself by grabbing The Hillbilly's back, but there was nothing to grab onto, and his fingers slid pointlessly over the torn and dirty tank top The Hillbilly wore.

Something jabbed him in the back, but then it turned into an exploding pain that spread throughout his entire body and Delirious let out an ear-piercing shriek of bloody murder. Blood sprayed out in front of him, staining The Hillbilly's front side, but the monster didn't care. It instead walked away, leaving Delirious to die.

The agony was too immense, and Delirious had already screamed so much and so hard that his throat was now sore, and he could even taste blood on the inside of his mouth. It went to the back of his throat and he started choking on it. Delirious coughed from it, staining the inside of his mask with blood and saliva from his throat. Some of it spilled through the holes in his mask, and tears started leaking out from his eyes,

If the huge amount of agony that Delirious felt right now wasn't bad enough, he now had to hold back the urge to throw up. It wasn't just because of the pain that Delirious wanted to puke, it was also because of what he saw in front of him. The Hillbilly was gone, but the killer wasn't Delirious' problem anymore. Death was. Delirious had to hold down the bile rising in his stomach so that he didn't make his situation worse, but the whole reason that it was there in the first place was from what he could see on the hook that had impaled his shoulder.

It wasn't just stained red with his blood, there were other things on the metal, too. Delirious could see a small chunk of something lodged onto the tip, and he could only guess that it was his flesh. His muscle had been shredded and some of it torn right out of his body. Then there were the small, dark, blood covered shards that specked the hook. Pieces of his collarbone and shoulder blade, Delirious guessed.

Great, his shoulder had been completely torn apart. There was little to no chance that he would ever be able to use his left arm again after this.

If he even got out of this situation _alive_.

Mark and Avery were the ones who were frantic, now. After he screamed bloody murder, they were racing towards the only place that Delirious could be; on the hook that they had been dismantling. Only, they had a bit of a problem.

The Hillbilly had found them and was chasing them around. The first thing about The Hillbilly they noticed was the large red stain on its front. It was blood, and the blood could only belong to Delirious. The sight of it only made them more desperate, and for all they knew, Delirious could already be dead.

While Mark and Avery were facing their own problems, Delirious' was only getting worse. He could feel pressure growing in his left shoulder, and realized that the hook was slowly tearing through what was left in his shoulder. If he didn't do something fast, the hook would eventually just tear his shoulder right open. _That_ would kill Delirious instantly for sure.

Delirious raised his arms and gripped the hook with his hands, holding himself up. The pressure was somewhat lifted, but now his strength was only draining faster. Then Delirious realized that only one of his hands was holding onto the bloody hook that was killing him faster by the second. He looked down at his left arm and saw that it was now just hanging limply at his side.

That just proved it. His left arm was gone.

Delirious was blinded by the amount of tears spilling from his eyes and he sobbed pathetically as ripples of pain spread throughout his body. Where were Mark and Avery? Why hadn't they found him yet? Had they left him to die because they both thought that he was already dead? Delirious shook his head violently to get rid of the disturbing thoughts, but he immediately regretted it. He gasped painfully and clenched his teeth, panting through his nose as he held back another scream of agony.

A second later, Delirious could feel the pressure returning to his shoulder as his right arm went limp and simply hung there. Now all his hand was doing was lying over the hook, slowly slipping down until it finally fell off and swung down to his side. Another scream of pain escaped his mouth as more blood spilled from the wound in his shoulder, staining the front of his shirt and inside of his sweater.

Then Delirious felt the pain beginning to ebb away, but it wasn't because his body was now getting used to it, it was because his body was growing rapidly weaker. His right arm had fallen limply to his side, and his left had never moved when he wanted it too. Delirious tried to cry out for help one final time, but his voice had stopped working and Delirious could only hang there. Tears were slipping out from behind the edges of his mask and down his face. Delirious' vision was growing blurry, and he could feel his eyelids beginning to droop.

This was it. This was the end of it. His life was now coming to end. One final tear slipped from Delirious' eyes and through the eyehole in his mask, sliding down the white and red colored material. Delirious' eyes finally drooped shut and his entire body went totally limp.

* * *

Mark and Avery had had to run through The Rotten Fields to do so, but they finally lost The Hillbilly and were running back towards the dismantled hook. They had heard one final scream before everything was gone, and now they feared for Delirious' life. They finally came to the ruins, and were looking all over the place.

"Over there!" Mark cried suddenly.

Avery stopped and saw him running towards something. She took a closer look, and once she realized what it was, she ran after him.

The sight was. . . horrific.

Just Delirious hanging limply by his left shoulder with blood spilling down his front and even staining the front of his mask was enough to make Avery drop to her knees and start crying. This was real and actually happening. And only to make things worse, Avery remembered that it was written in the Journal that any injuries received inside the game were inflicted upon their actual bodies in the real world.

Delirious may as well have just been permanently disabled.

"We have to get him down!" Avery said, standing up again and going towards the pillar.

"Just how are we supposed to do that?" Mark pointed out.

"Lift me up and I'll finish dismantling the hook. You can wait below Delirious and catch him when he falls." Avery explained. "We'll take him back to the hideout from there." she added worriedly.

Mark did as Avery had said, helping her up onto the stand and went to stand beneath Delirious. He moved a little as Avery worked, but Mark was ready when Delirious finally fell. Avery quickly jumped off the stand and helped Mark lay Delirious down on the ground. She pulled the hook out of his shoulder and pressed her hands over the wound.

"Help me carry him," Avery said, and she and Mark raised Delirious once more and started heading towards the hideout.

Jack was shifting his sitting position constantly out of boredom and worry as he waited for Mark, Avery, and Delirious to return. He finally lost his patience and stood up, heading to the stairs. He had just placed his foot on the first step when he heard a shout. Jack hurried up the stairs and waited by the hatch, listening.

"Jack!" it was muffled by the layers in the floor, but Jack recognized the voice as Mark's.

He could also hear Avery yelling his name alongside Mark, and pushed open the hatch to see what was going on. Looking out into the Killer's Shack, Jack saw nothing at first, but then he heard hurried footsteps, and then Mark and Avery appeared in the doorway. Jack felt huge relief at seeing them again, but then his relief was blown away as his eyes widened with horror.

For Mark and Avery were carrying something. Or someone. And that someone was Delirious. Jack could see the blood that was staining his frontside and immediately knew that he was to help get Delirious back inside the hideout. The moment that Mark and Avery reached him in the hatch, Jack supported Delirious' shoulders and chest as he was lowered into the hideout. Mark helped get him down the stairs, and then Avery was quickly at Delirious' side with the first-aid kit in hand.

The moment that Delirious was placed on the floor, Avery was taking off his sweater. There was a hole in the back of it where the hook had punctured, and the backside of the sweater was just as stained as the front. Once the blue sweater was removed, Jack saw a large bruise on Delirious' left arm. It must have been from when he'd killed The Hillbilly in The Rotten Fields.

Avery took a small pair of scissors from the kit and cut open the front of Delirious' shirt, making it easier to take off. Mark and Jack were shocked silent. The scratch across Delirious' stomach was bad enough, but the sight alone of the horrible wound on his shoulder was enough to make one faint. But they didn't. They had to help Avery in every way they could.

Avery was cleaning the skin around the scratch and the puncture when she asked for help. "I need one of you to help me here," she said. "I have to get the bandages all the way around his torso, but I can't do that without lifting him up," she explained.

Mark was the one to help with that. He held Delirious up enough so that Avery could start wrapping his injuries.

"Take his mask off," Avery said as she covered Delirious with many bandages.

"What?" Jack was confused. "I thought that he didn't like showing anyone what he looks like?"

"No, he doesn't, but it's blocking his mouth and nose, so he can't breathe as freely. Plus, I'll have to clean it anyways," Avery explained.

Jack didn't ask anymore and undid the strap that held Delirious' mask on. He took it off and placed it on the floor nearby. Avery hadn't reacted to seeing Jonathan's face at all and just kept wrapping. It took a while, but finally his wounds were covered and Mark, with Jack's help, slowly lowered Delirious back onto the floor.

Avery sighed and picked up the mask, carrying it and a cloth over to another corner. She started rubbing the inside of the mask, wiping away the blood and tear stains. Jack was watching her as Mark kept his eye on Delirious. Finally, Avery completed her task and placed the mask on the floor next to Delirious. She backed away and could only watch Delirious as his breath continued unsteadily.

His face was nothing like Avery had actually imagined. His hair was always drawn to be short, almost like a buzz cut in the pictures Delirious used for the thumbnails on his channel, but it was longer at the front, with very short bangs that stuck out a little. His skin was definitely lighter than she had thought it was, but she was glad that all the things other people described weren't true.

Avery didn't ship H2OVanoss, but she had read a few fanfictions, though it had only been out of boredom and the curiosity of how other people wrote it. In many of those stories that she'd read, the writers had always seemed to think that the Delirious behind the screen had piercings and tattoos, but it was all wrong. He had none of those things, as it turned out. His skin was bare of any ink, and his ears and the rest of his face went without a single piercing.

Mark and Jack didn't notice it, but Avery smiled a little. She knew that she couldn't say anything about it, but if she did, she was sure that all the other fans would be jealous of her because she'd seen what H2ODelirious looks like. That is if they would even believe a word Avery would say.

But no, Avery would keep the secret to herself. She was sure that Jonathan wouldn't want her saying that she'd seen his face. She was sure that he wouldn't exactly be too happy when he woke up and found out that his mask had been removed. Even if it had just been for cleaning.

Avery suddenly realized that Delirious' face was still covered with some blood, and she moved closer to wipe it away. Once his face was clean, Avery closed the first-aid kit and placed her head on her knees.

Mark and Jack were sitting next to each other on the opposite wall, watching both Avery and Delirious worriedly.

Avery had been thinking that Delirious wouldn't be pleased to hear his mask had been removed when he woke up, but that was only _if_ he _ever_ woke up. He could die from the wounds he'd received, and then everyone back home would never know the truth of his death.

Mark, Jack, and Avery could only wait for something to happen, whether it be Delirious waking up or dying, it was still something. They could only hope for the best.


	18. Problems

"So, uh. . . I thought I should mention tha I found one of the generators," Jack said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had set heavily around the room over the past hour.

"We didn't find the other one, but at least you got this one fixed?" Avery asked, her voice dry. She coughed to clear her throat and then drank some of the water that was left in her bottle.

"Yeah, I was." Jack nodded.

"What were you doing outside?" Mark looked at Jack suspiciously.

"I fell asleep not long after you guys had left, and I wanted to help you when I woke up." Jack explained. "`Course I had to find yeh first."

"But instead you found the generator," Avery said, her voice cracking. "And then came back here?" Avery didn't take her eyes off the floor in front of her as she spoke.

"Yeah, I did. Just waited until you guys came back," Jack said.

Mark was looking at Avery with concentration, and he wasn't letting anything pass him over. It was obvious that Avery was scared and worried, but they all were. Mark scooted across the room and sat next to Avery.

"What is it?" Mark asked.

Avery looked up at him, her eyes wet. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"The specific thing that's bothering you," Mark said. "What is it?" he asked again.

Avery looked back down at the floor for a moment before turning her gaze onto Delirious, who still lay unconscious.

"I'm afraid of the blame." Avery looked over at Jack before looking at Mark again. He didn't say anything, so she continued. "I'm sure you both haven't forgotten that we're all here because of me? It's for that reason that I'm to blame for any injury that you guys might have and even for. . ." Avery took a deep breath. "And even for the deaths."

Mark and Jack were quiet for a minute and Avery began sobbing lightly into her hands. Mark tried to think of something to say while Jack looked next to him at Delirious.

The truth was, Jack only knew about Delirious because of Daithi De Nogla. He'd played a simulation game with the other Irishman a few years back, and they still talked sometimes, but otherwise Jack didn't actually have any interaction with Daithi's friends other than Ohmwrecker. The chances that Jack would have done something, like play a game with Daithi and some of his friends, was very low and wouldn't have happened, and he'd even stopped playing with Ohm, too. Jack never would have actually been properly introduced to Delirious, but then they had met each other through getting trapped inside this video game, and Jack was even spending some time with Mark.

The same went for all of them. Especially Avery. She'd been wanting to meet the three of them for a while, and who knew just how badly she'd wanted to do so?

"Hey, Avery," Jack looked across the room at Avery, who was still crying a little while Mark was trying to comfort her. Avery looked up. "Not everything about what we've been through so far has been bad," Jack said, hoping it would help.

"What do you mean by that?" Avery asked, suddenly a little curious as to what Jack was getting at.

"Well, you got ta meet us like you wanted to for starters," Jack said. "And just from that we've all gotten ta know each other."

Avery wiped her face. "Yeah, I guess that's true," she said. "I have met you all, now. Only. . . not in the way I wanted." Avery lowered her head.

"There's also a few things that we've each learned, I'm sure." Jack added a minute later.

Avery looked up at him again quickly, knowing what he meant. She looked over at Delirious. "Why don't you guys go look for the last generator?" she said. "I'll stay here with Delirious."

Mark stood up and Jack followed him to the stairs. He stopped at the bottom and looked back at Avery, who had moved across the room and sat down next to Delirious.

"Yeh sure you'll be okay on yer own?" Jack asked, knowing the immediate answer.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Avery said. "Besides, someone has to stay here to watch him. What if he were to wake up and find us all gone?"

Jack gave a small huff of amusement. "That wouldn't end well," he said before going up the stairs after Mark.

Jack climbed out of the hatch and Mark closed it behind them. They left the Killer's Shack and Mark started going in the direction that they had been before, leading Jack towards where the cow tree was suspected to be located.

"Do you know where you're going, Mark?" Jack asked after passing the first hook.

"Yes," Mark answered. "We had a thought that the last generator might be around the cow tree, so we were heading over there."

"It sounds like there's something in between," Jack said.

"We passed a ruined shed, where there was a hook." Mark explained.

Jack didn't need to hear anymore; he knew what Mark was saying. "That's where H2O was. . . ?" he guessed.

Mark nodded as he and Jack kept walking.

Jack looked wearily at the ruins of the shed when they walked past it later, unable to imagine what horrible things had happened there just an hour earlier. Once the shed was out of sight, Jack spotted the Silo and pointed it out to Mark.

"That must mean that we're close," Mark said.

After another few minutes, the smell came back to Jack and he gagged. "Yup, we're definitely close by," he said, coughing.

He still didn't quite understand why it smelled so good to him, even now when he already knew what it was coming from. Mark spotted the large fire that was always burning around the tree and made his way towards it. Jack followed, and held it in when he saw the corpses again. Up close, the smell was just. . . intolerable. It even made Mark sick, and he couldn't smell it at all from the distance that it reached Jack.

"All right, so it should be around here somewhere," Mark plugged his nose and looked around.

"We might want ta worry about the generator later, because right now we have a monster problem!" Jack exclaimed in a loud whisper.

Mark followed his gaze and saw The Hillbilly, too. The Hillbilly was standing only yards away, and it was staring straight at them. The weirdest thing was that it wasn't charging them. But even from this distance Jack could see it clearly; the blood that stained the monster's front.

"Is that. . . blood. . . ?" Jack couldn't get the words out, and he looked at Mark, who nodded. Jack gulped when he looked back at The Hillbilly. "The bastard," he muttered quietly, feeling hate well up inside him.

Mark and Jack slowly moved forward, making a cautious approach. Then Mark stopped suddenly and grabbed Jack's arm.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"Uh, we have a problem," Mark pointed at The Hillbilly.

Jack didn't quite get it, but he looked at the killer hard and well. And then he noticed what Mark had.

The Hillbilly was guarding the final generator.


	19. Wrath Of The Chainsaw

_**So, if you weren't already shocked stiff by everything that's happened so far, then you might be a little startled after this chapter. I've got something special for all of you in mind, so be prepared and hold on to those socks!**_

* * *

Mark and Jack stared blankly at The Hillbilly, which stood in front of the last generator. They couldn't just leave it to go and find another generator, because there were no other generators. The one behind The Hillbilly was the last one on the entire map, and if it wasn't repaired, then Mark, Jack, Avery, and Delirious (if he lived) wouldn't be able to escape Coldwind Farm and move on.

"How do we get rid of the fookin bastard?!" Jack growled. He huffed angrily. "Can't do shit unless that damn thing goes away!"

Mark heaved an annoyed sigh, "I know that, Jack. Just as well as you do. Only, how we get rid of it is a mystery."

"We'll have to plan this out carefully. Don't want one of us getting hurt," Jack said. "We already have ta worry about H2O."

Mark's shoulders slumped. No doubt the two of them were still worried about Delirious, who currently still lay unconscious.

Avery was growing impatient. Mark and Jack had only been gone for half an hour, but she was still getting antsy. Not only was she getting worried about Mark and Jack, but she was only growing more and more afraid for Delirious. Ever since she'd finished bandaging him, he'd gone still, with just uneven breathing to show that he was still alive.

But now Delirious was starting to move again, but not exactly in a good way. He was twitching a little, and Avery occasionally heard a small, pained moan. If anything, his condition was getting worse by the minute.

Mark and Jack had by now tried multiple things in the attempt to get The Hillbilly away from the generator. But to their frustration, none of them had worked so far. They had tried a decoy, angering The Hillbilly until it finally gave up and charged them, and they had even tried getting up behind The Hillbilly, but it never let them out of its sight.

Finally, the two of them had given up, and were now going to just go for it. Mark slowly moved closer to the generator and The Hillbilly, constantly looking between the two. He was growing nervous as he got closer to the monster. Taking another cautious step forward, Mark looked back at Jack, who was close behind him. He could see the fear in his eyes as they got closer to the generator.

When they got as close as they dared, about five or so yards away, Mark and Jack froze at the slightest movement The Hillbilly made. They were both a bit confused as to why The Hillbilly wasn't charging them, and then Mark realized that it wasn't even _looking_ at them anymore. He looked at Jack, who didn't seem to have noticed it.

"I don't think it even cares that we're here," Mark whispered.

Jack looked quickly at him. "You sure?" he asked, looking back at the monster.

The Hillbilly was turning its head slowly left and right, looking around. Mark and Jack got a little closer, and stopped again when the beast looked straight at them. But still, it didn't attack. Instead, it spoke.

 **"You come for the machine?"** it asked. The Hillbilly's voice was a deep gurgle, but just hearing it say anything at all startled Jack and Mark. **"I have no need to harm you. . . currently,"** The Hillbilly said.

Mark and Jack looked at each other.

"Uh," Mark began. "How. . . are you talking?" he asked. The Hillbilly didn't answer, it just stepped aside, giving Mark and Jack access to the generator.

 **"I do not care for you two or the girl anymore. Just the one who escaped me."** The Hillbilly said. Mark and Jack didn't approach the generator. They wouldn't unless they were sure this wasn't a trap. **"He took me out,"** the Hillbilly continued. **"And I wish to destroy him!"** it growled, swinging its hammer through the air angrily.

Mark and Jack looked at each other before slowly closing the distance between them and the generator. They carefully began to repair it, glancing nervously at The Hillbilly every now and then as it watched them work. It stared off into the distance, mainly in the direction that they had come, looking towards the Killer's Shack and the hideout.

It moved a few yards away, out of earshot, and Mark whispered, "Do you think it means Delirious?"

"Likely," Jack said. "I don't like it."

It took a while, especially since they were constantly looking at The Hillbilly nervously throughout the repairs, but the light finally came on, and as soon as it did, Mark and Jack made to return to the hideout, but The Hillbilly stopped them before they could leave.

 **"I have let you increase your chances of escape,"** it growled. **"But there is one thing I want before you all leave."** The Hillbilly held out its chainsaw, pointing it at Mark. **"You are to bring me your blue friend before you leave. I want my revenge on him, and if you do not do this, then you will all be killed."**

"Yeah, okay." Jack squeaked.

The Hillbilly let them go and Mark and Jack bolted. The fled from the scene and left The Hillbilly behind them, never looking back to see if it was following. They finally stopped at the first hook nearest the Killer's Shack to catch their breath. The Hillbilly hadn't followed them. Or it hadn't been able to keep up. Either way, they were safe.

"What should we do?" Jack asked, his voice filled with fear.

"Well, we should get back and then tell Avery," Mark said.

"That thing wants Delirious, though!" Jack exclaimed. "We aren't gonna just hand him over, are we?!"

"What? No!" Mark gasped. "Why on earth would we do that? He's our friend! We'll just have to tell Avery and then we'll figure out a way around this." Mark turned and headed for the Killer's Shack, Jack following behind him.

When they reached the doorway, there was suddenly a faint shout.

"Sounds like H2O is awake." Jack guessed.

"Must be," Mark opened the hatch.

* * *

Avery was still just sitting against the wall, watching over Delirious. He was still twitching, and it seemed to have gotten worse and more frequent. She was just beginning to doze off when there was a shout. Jumping violently, Avery quickly realized that Delirious had suddenly woken up. He must not have known immediately where he was at the moment, because he'd sat up and backed himself against the wall, looking panicked.

Avery got up quickly and held him as still as she could. "Delirious! Calm down!" she said, trying to get Delirious to look at her.

"What-?! Where am I?!" Delirious demanded.

"Delirious, you're at the hideout. You're safe," Avery said slowly.

Delirious finally registered who was in front of him and his quickened breath slowed down. Mark and Jack walked in just then and Delirious suddenly remembered what happened. His shoulder exploded with pain and he let out a yelp, gripping the bandaged injury. Avery was searching through the first-aid kit for something, and it was then that Delirious realized that his left arm was placed in a swing crafted from what looked like an old pillowcase or sheet.

Avery finally found what she was looking for and gave Delirious the sedative. The pain in his shoulder eased a little, and Delirious was able to relax. His shoulder and arm still hurt, but the pain was at least bearable for now. Delirious opened his eyes again and saw that Mark, Jack, and Avery were all looking at him worriedly.

"What happened?" he asked. "Besides me nearly getting killed?" he added, looking around him and spotting his sweater, neatly folded up next to him.

He was able to spread it out again and slip his right arm through the sleeve, but had trouble getting it over his back.

Avery didn't even need to ask, she just grabbed the sweater and put around Delirious. "Want it zipped?" she asked.

"Yes, please." Delirious sighed.

Avery closed the front of the sweater and stepped away. Delirious leaned back against the wall again, a tired sigh escaping him. He brought his hand up to rub his eyes, and then realized that his mask was gone.

"Hey, where's my mask?!" Delirious looked around.

"It's right next to you," Avery said.

Delirious looked over and snatched the mask off the floor. "Why did you take it off?!"he demanded, his eyes full of anger.

"I had to," Avery began explaining, but Delirious interrupted before she could continue.

"You just couldn't resist. Is that it?!" he growled.

"No!" Avery exclaimed. "It was blocking your nose and mouth! I had to remove it so it would be easier for you to breathe, since you were unconscious." she explained quickly. "I also had to clean it." she added a moment later.

"Oh. . . sorry, Avery. I kinda just. . . overreacted then. . . I guess." Delirious apologized awkwardly, looking down at the hockey mask in his hand.

"No, I understand," Avery said. "Do you want some help putting your mask back on?"

Delirious thought for a moment, and then he shook his head. "I think I'll keep it off for a bit, actually." He put the mask down next to him on the floor again.

Avery nodded, then turned to Mark and Jack, who had both sat down on the other side of the room. "Did you find it?" she asked.

"We did," Mark said. "But we found something else, too." he added, looking at Delirious nervously.

"You're not going ta like it, though." Jack warned. He explained what happened with him and Mark while they were out, and hesitated at the point with what The Hillbilly had said.

"Is. . . something wrong?" Avery asked at Jack's sudden silence.

"I don't know, it's just. . . scary," Jack said.

"The Hillbilly spoke to us at the generator." Mark explained.

Avery's eyes widened. "It _what_?!" she gasped.

"It said that it didn't want us or you, Avery, only Delirious," Mark said.

Delirious froze. He hated the sound of that. "So, what. . . ? Now I'm threatened?" he scoffed.

"Apparently," Avery breathed. "How can we get around this?" she asked herself.

"I was hoping tha maybe you would have an answer ta that. . ." Jack mumbled.

"And I do!" Avery exclaimed suddenly. "You guys could just stay here while I go out looking for one of the gates or the hatch so we can make our escape. If The Hillbilly isn't interested in attacking me, I basically have free passage throughout the entire map." Avery looked between Mark, Jack, and Delirious.

"I can't say tha it isn't a good idea," Jack said.

"Hmm, but it still worries me." Avery's gaze fell onto nowhere. "Why would The Hillbilly want Delirious specifically?" she looked at Mark and Jack again.

"Something about being the one to escape him?" Mark remembered.

"Yeah, it said that it wants revenge on you." Jack glance at Delirious, who, to his surprise, looked calm.

Delirious, however, was anything but. He may have looked calm on the outside, but in truth he was freaking out. Panicking.


	20. Goodbye To Hell Number Two

_**Hey! This is the final chapter for part 2. Sorry if you guys thought that it was a little short or anything like that. I know that it was certainly dramatic! :O**_

 ** _Part 3 will come out February 6, so hang in there! :3_**

* * *

"I promise to come back soon, guys," Avery said before heading up the stairs.

There was faint _thud_ when Avery closed the hatch and Mark, Jack, and Delirious were left in the now quiet hideout. All they could do now was wait for Avery to return.

The pain in his shoulder was fading, but it was still there, and Delirious began to think that he was slowly losing feeling in his left arm, for it was growing numb. His shoulder was extremely sore, and breathing hurt like hell. He knew that his shoulder blade and collarbone were shattered, but what of his ribcage? Just how much damage did he take from that hook? Just thinking about what happened made the pain come back, so Delirious tried to change his train of thought.

"What. . . what do you think we'll be facing next?" Delirious asked, getting uncomfortable in the silence that filled the room.

"Probably The Trapper," Mark guessed.

"Oh god, not that guy." Jack groaned.

"Sounds like fun," Delirious said sarcastically. "Only hope we'll all get out of it." he shifted his position, flinching when his shoulder pulsed.

Jack stopped thinking about what might happen with The Trapper and took notice of Delirious' state.

"So," Delirious tried to think of something to talk about. Something that wasn't actually related to _Dead By Daylight_. "What do you guys do?" he asked finally. "Outside of recording, I mean." he added to be more clear.

"Well, nothing interesting," Mark said. "Sometimes I just let Chica control what I do." He chuckled at the thought of his dog, and then his smile faded when he thought about what happened to her. Was she okay?

Jack wasn't exactly fooled by the cover up that Delirious was making, but he didn't want to upset him, so he played along. "I have no daily schedule. It's really just all over the place." he said.

"I guess that I'm somewhat organized," Delirious said. It wasn't exactly true, but he definitely didn't spend his days waiting to record or binge watching TV all day. He spent some time with Luke, or CaRtOoNz, and also had to take care of his dog, Spike. Otherwise there really wasn't much to his life than he would have thought.

"You have any pets? I know that Mark has Chica," Jack said.

"Just my dog, Spike." Delirious answered.

"What breed? I've got an English Cream Retriever." Mark said.

"American Pitbull Terrier." Delirious explained. "Although sometimes I think he's a boxer or something else for some reason. . ." he added, confusion spreading across his face.

"Wish I could have a pet. . ." Jack sighed.

"Apartment not allow it?" Mark asked.

"Sometimes I wish that they wouldn't allow visitors. Especially siblings." Jack chuckled. "Not always, though."

Jack saying he had siblings made Delirious think about his sister. He had no idea what had happened to her after she and Luke broke up awhile ago. Sadness returned to him as when Delirious thought of Luke. If his sister hadn't fallen in love with him in the first place, there was a chance that they never would have even met. Over the years, Delirious and Luke grew close enough to be like brothers, and Delirious couldn't ask for anything better. Luke cared about him, and was always helpful when it came to hard situations.

On days where Delirious was stuck or needed help with something, Luke had always been there to help him. Delirious needed help now, but Luke wasn't there with him, and there was a chance that he never would be again, if Delirious didn't make it out of this. He missed everyone of his friends and family, but it seemed like Luke was at the top of them all, and Delirious wished that Luke could be there for him right now, even though the place wasn't the best.

Delirious heard Mark and Jack talk about something else with each other, but he was practically blocking it all out now. He eyes hurt from wanting to cry all of a sudden, and his heart began to ache.

"So, what about you, Delirious?" Mark snapped Delirious out of his depression and he looked up, puzzled. What were they talking about? "Who would you say is your favorite YouTuber?" Mark repeated the question.

"Oh, uh. . ." Delirious didn't know why he had to think about it. "Do bestfriends count?" he asked.

"If that's the case, then yes," Mark said. "Jack said I'm his favorite."

Delirious laughed lightly, but stopped quickly when there was a slight stab of pain in his shoulder. "Then I have to say Cartoonz. He's like a brother to me." Delirious said, trying to hide evidence that his arm was hurting again quickly.

There was silence for a minute, before Delirious quietly added, "I really miss him. . ."

"I can understand why," Mark said. "If you two are that close, then it's understandable. I miss my brother Jason and everyone else back home just as much."

"It's the same for all of us," Jack said. "Stuff like this has that effect on people."

Delirious, Mark, and Jack talked for a while, changing the subject more often than not, and even learning a few things about each other. Delirious felt himself calming down as time passed.

He jumped, a stab of pain piercing his shoulder, when there was a loud _thud_ from above them and the sound of pounding feet. The next second, Avery appeared at the bottom of the steps.

"Guess what I found?" she said immediately.

"What?" Mark and Jack looked up at her.

"I found the escape hatch, which will make it easier for Delirious to escape. It's quick, and we wouldn't have to wait for the door to open." Avery explained.

"This makes everything easier!" Jack said, getting to his feet.

Delirious picked up his mask and Mark helped him get it back on. Once the strap was fastened, Delirious went to stand up, but his legs suddenly felt like jelly, and Mark pulled him to his feet. Avery watched with concern as Mark supported Delirious under his right arm across the room.

Jack helped Mark get Delirious up the stairs and outside the Killer's Shack, and Avery started leading them in the direction of the escape hatch. Walking was almost agony for Delirious, and he knew that he was only slowing the group down. He couldn't tell them to just leave him behind to The Hillbilly, since they would obviously protest, but he didn't like the thought of keeping them all here longer than they wanted to stay.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the group reached the escape hatch.

"I honestly don't know what to expect after this," Avery said as she forced open the door in the ground.

Delirious let himself slip away from Mark, and he wobbled when he was standing on his own.

"You got it?" Mark asked worriedly as Delirious was concentrating on keeping his balance.

"Yeah, I think so," Delirious said uncertainly.

"We'll let you go first, since you're injured," Avery said. "I'll be right behind you, though."

Delirious nodded before he managed to lower himself through the hatch and off Coldwind Farm.

Once he was gone, Avery turned to Mark and Jack. "See you on the next map?" she asked.

"Yes, and hopefully soon," Mark said.

Avery smiled a little before jumping into the hole in the ground, disappearing before Mark's and Jack's eyes.

"You go first," Jack said to Mark.

"No, you should go." Mark shook his head.

"Are we really going ta argue about this?" Jack asked.

Mark shrugged. "Probably?"

Jack rolled his eyes.

 **"YOU LIED TO ME!"** a loud shout made Mark and Jack jump and they turned quickly to see The Hillbilly charging towards them.

"OH SHIT!" Jack cried, bolting with Mark right behind him.

There was no point in going through the hatch at all since they would just keep arguing about who would go first, so the two of them just ran. The Hillbilly sprinted, waving its chainsaw threateningly at Mark and Jack as they ran. They split, turning in opposite directions to avoid getting sliced to pieces by the chainsaw. The Hillbilly stopped after running right between them, and then after it recovered, it tried to figure out where Mark and Jack had gone.

Mark and Jack had joined again, and were running towards the Silo, which was clearly visible in front of them.

"Wait, Mark, look!" Jack shouted suddenly, pointing away from the from the fallen Silo.

Mark looked and saw that what Jack had spotted was a gate, and it was already opened. They stopped in front of it and looked around. The Hillbilly was missing, so there was a chance that they had lost it.

"Avery musta opened it while she was out," Jack guessed. "Just in case."

"It's likely. Come on," Mark started walking towards the barrier that would send them on to the next map with Avery and Delirious.

They were about to escape, and didn't hesitate to do so. Finally, the two of them were getting off Coldwind Farm, and though there was still more to come, they knew that they were closer to getting home again.

Then Mark and Jack heard the whirring, and knew that The Hillbilly had found them again, or had always known where they were and just kept quiet. Mark and Jack lunged forward towards the barrier, but The Hillbilly reached out and grabbed Mark by the back of his shirt.

Jack stopped short and ran at the monster to save Mark, but The Hillbilly grabbed him and shoved Jack hard backward. Everything quickly dissolved around him and Jack realized that he'd been pushed past the barrier and was being taken to the next map.

But Mark had been caught by The Hillbilly.

Mark was left behind.


	21. Reality Check

_**Hello and welcome back!**_ _ **A few things to say before you get to reading this new part.**_

 _ **First of all, today is my birthday! YAY! February 6, 2001. Now I'm 16! It's weird though...! :O**_

 _ **As for the story, I apologize if it seems like someone has more content for their part than others. I was focusing more on them mostly because I was new to his channel and he was almost all I watched. Lol.**_

* * *

 **Part 3**

 **Dead Romance**

 **Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday**

* * *

What happened in the real world after Mark, Jack, Avery, and Delirious fell into the game? They were all wondering what was going on, and just what _was_ going on? How long have they been in their "coma"? In truth, like the Journal had said, time was slower inside the game, and passed faster in the real world.

But what happened after they were zapped inside _Dead By Daylight_?

* * *

 **Mark**

Chica rubbed her nose against Mark's face, licking it occasionally. She could sense that something was wrong, since he wasn't reacting to her at all. Chica whimpered and simply lay down again, placing her head over Mark's chest. Why had her master suddenly gone still? It was concerning, even for a dog.

Meanwhile, outside the house, two people were just arriving. Matt and Ryan were meeting Mark for a skit that the three of them had planned to do yesterday, but never got around to it. There wasn't anything going on today, so they were all pretty much free.

Chica raised her head when she heard the knock at the door. She leaped off the bed and ran over to it, barking. Whoever was at the door might be able to help!

"Sounds like Chica is excited," Matt said when they heard Chica's barking behind the door.

It was another minute before Matt's expression turned to confusion. He tried knocking again, and Ryan pulled out his phone.

"Maybe he's being lazy?" Ryan guessed when it went to voicemail.

"If Chica hasn't woken him up yet, then probably." Matt laughed lightly at his own words. "Should we come back later?" he asked with a raised brow when Chica had fallen silent inside the house.

Ryan shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe?"

Chica had given up on the door when everything was quiet after the second knock. She returned to Mark's bedroom and jumped on the bed again, laying her head over his chest once more. What was wrong with him? Why wouldn't he wake up?

It was several hours before Matt and Ryan came back, and when Mark still didn't answer the door or his phone, they finally just let themselves in. Something was wrong, and Mark was obviously home, because his car was still in the garage, and Chica was immediately greeting them at the door when they walked in.

"Whoa, hey there, Chica!" Ryan laughed as Chica started jumping on him.

She started barking again and walking back and forth between the guys and the hall that led to Mark's bedroom. Matt and Ryan looked at each other with slight confusion. It was almost as though Chica was trying to tell them that something was wrong. They followed her to Mark's bedroom, where they found him still asleep.

"How much sleep can one guy get?" Ryan asked, bewildered.

"Maybe he was up late?" Matt suggested.

"That's a good enough reason," Ryan said.

An awkward silence fell between the two of them, until Matt said, "Should we wait or leave?"

Ryan's eyebrows raised and Matt took it as he had no idea what they should do. They weren't even sure if Mark was just joking around or was seriously out cold, but they finally decided to wait around until he woke up.

Chica kept following them everywhere, trying to get them back to Mark, which was confusing for a while. Until a full hour passed and Matt finally got annoyed. He went to Mark's room with Chica right on his heels.

Ryan was waiting in the kitchen when Matt suddenly shouted his name. He ran down to Mark's room to find Matt with a panicked expression.

"What?" Ryan asked, suddenly worried.

"I think that something's wrong!" Matt's words were rushed.

"What do you mean? Can you not wake him?" Ryan asked, stepping into the room.

Matt shook his head quickly. "No, I can't, and there's something else." Matt gestured to the sheets, which were stained red.

"Is that. . ." Ryan looked at the stain, and then at Matt. "Blood?!" he gasped, his eyes widening.

"We got to get him out of here, find out what's going on." Matt went to drag Mark off the bed.

Ryan helped him, and got really worried when Mark didn't even react. Something was definitely wrong. They took him outside and got him into the backseat of Matt's car before climbing into the front. Matt started the engine and drove off down the road. They reached the hospital almost forty-five minutes later, and Ryan stayed in the car with Mark while Matt went inside for help.

It wasn't long before Mark was taken inside for testing while Matt and Ryan waited in the lobby. They grew impatient as the minutes passed, and then finally a doctor came out to speak with them. Matt and Ryan looked at him expectantly.

"I'm afraid to say that your friend is in a coma," the doctor said. "We can't find a cause for it, but we're still looking."

Ryan looked nervously to Matt, who was silent with shock.

"When did you last speak with him?" the doctor asked.

"Yesterday. Something must have happened while Mark was still asleep that he just won't wake," Matt said.

The doctor nodded. "That information could help us diagnose the problem so we can begin treatment." The doctor wrote something down on his clipboard before looking up at Matt and Ryan again. "May I ask about the injury to his leg?"

"We found him like that, actually." Matt explained.

"All right, well, I believe that is all." The doctor clicked his pen and slipped it into his chest pocket.

Matt and Ryan left the hospital a while later, after seeing Mark one last time.

"What should we tell the others?" Ryan asked as Matt pulled up to the front of Mark's house again.

"I don't know, but it isn't just the rest of the guys that we need to tell," Matt said.

Ryan knew that he was talking about the fans, who would obviously want some answers as to why Mark was suddenly not uploading. But the inactivity on his account was a problem that didn't have a solution.

Matt and Ryan took care of some things, specifically for Chica, before returning home. Everyone else was alerted to what Matt and Ryan had found, and that made the fans and Jack the only ones left to find out. For some reason though, Jack wasn't answering any calls or messages from the guys, and they eventually gave up. He would see them at some point and likely respond to one of them.

An excuse for Mark's inactivity was posted over twitter, and it seemed like the fans were satisfied with the reason. They didn't know that Mark was actually in a coma, but thought that he was busy with his family. Which, in a word, was true. They had all gone down to L.A. after learning of the real situation.

Tom was staying at Mark's taking care of Chica, and visited the hospital everyday with his mother and Dee.

However long Mark was in his coma for, they would wait for him to wake for as long as they could.

* * *

 **Avery**

Avery was discovered more quickly, since she still lived with her parents. Her mother was just about to head out to pick up some things from the store and went to ask Avery if there was anything she might have wanted. It was unlike Avery to still be asleep at this time, but her mother left her anyways.

When she came back about an hour later, she got worried. Frank hadn't come back from his time at the bar with his buddies last night, and Mary just figured that he was wasted again.

Mary tried gently shaking Avery awake, but she didn't react.

"Avery?" Mary whispered, turning her daughter over onto her back.

Immediately, Mary knew that something was wrong. Avery was pale, and her breath was so light that it looked as though she wasn't breathing at all. Mary pulled the blanket of of Avery and picked her daughter up. She carried her downstairs and lay her across the couch. She took Avery's temperature; it was normal. Her pulse was even, and there didn't appear to be anything else wrong with her that Mary could see. Not externally.

She would have to take Avery in for further testing.

* * *

 **Jack**

Jack wasn't answering calls or messages from anyone, and they all thought that he was just busy, but it was due to an entirely different reason. Jack was still lying on his floor. Now that he lived alone again, there was no one to find him that way, unless someone broke in or something.

As it happened, one of Jack's neighbors had borrowed something from him and was just returning it now. They knocked on Jack's door and waited for a minute before trying again. When Jack still didn't answer, they just left the item at the door, knowing that it would be noticed sooner or later.

It didn't really occur to the neighbor that something was wrong, since it was so quiet, but he simply thought that Sean wasn't currently home. He did what he did everyday; went to work, and spent some time with his sister afterwards, and it was only when he finally got home around 8pm that he thought something wasn't right.

The container was still the way he'd left it, and the apartment was still strangely quiet. He knocked on the door again, and even tried the knob, finding that the door was unlocked. He hesitated on pushing the door open, but was glad he did.

Sean was on the floor, and it looked like he had been for a while. The neighbor ran forward and turned Jack over. He was pale and sickly looking, and the neighbor quickly pulled out his phone and dialed the emergency number.

"I've jus found my neighbor passed out on his floor, and I can't wake him!" he explained hurriedly after being asked about his problem.

The neighbor gave his location and didn't leave Jack's side the whole time he waited for the ambulance to arrive. This was serious, and he didn't know how long Sean had been like this. Had he been unconscious all day? Longer?

The neighbor was asked a few questions before Jack was taken away to the hospital, and he could only watch as the ambulance disappeared into the distance before finally going back inside.

Nearly an hour later, Jack's parents were waiting in the lobby for news. It was getting late, and they were already worried as it was. It was just going to get worse.

* * *

 **Delirious**

Luke had left the skype call telling Jonathan to get some sleep, but he didn't mean that deeply. It was now the next morning and Luke was just editing a video he'd recorded with Bryce, Moo, and Mini Ladd yesterday. He'd woken up pretty early, and was starting think that he was the one who should get to sleep.

Even so, Luke just stayed up, staring at his computer screen blankly while he waited for the whole video to actually load onto the program. It was still too early to call Jonathan now, and Luke didn't even know if he'd done what he'd told him. He could have been up the whole night for all he knew.

Again. . .

It wasn't the first time that Jonathan had done this. Once, he'd gone on an editing spree and didn't get any sleep for nearly twenty-four hours. Then there was that other time that he thought someone was out to get him and couldn't even _get_ to sleep. Not until Luke went over to his house to calm him down. Sometimes Luke just didn't understand why Jonathan played some of the games he had.

Finally, the video had loaded in and Luke started editing. It took several hours, but he put it to upload when he was done checking it over. It was now around nine, so he went to make himself some food and dialed up Jonathan while he was at it. He figured Jonathan was either busy or hadn't listened to him and was now out cold when his call went to voicemail.

"Jonathan, if this has gone to voicemail because you didn't listen to me, I swear I will come over there and find out what's going on." Luke grumbled. "But other than that, there was something I wanted to ask you. So just call me back later." Luke hung up before returning to his food.

He wasn't actually worried about Jonathan not calling back at all. He didn't really get how he managed it sometimes, but Jonathan _always_ called back within the first three hours of a missed call. If it ever went over that amount of time, then it meant that something was wrong. There was no way that Jonathan had managed to stay awake for very long after their skype call ended yesterday, so he would respond to Luke soon.

So, over the next few hours, Luke was recording another video, and then he checked his phone. It had only been two hours, so there was still time left. Luke didn't really do anything else for a while after that, and he dozed off at some point. When he woke up, it had been nearly four hours.

Luke looked around for his phone, but couldn't find it. He turned off the TV and got up, looking over the room. He found his phone on the shelf next to the TV and swiped his finger across the screen. Luke's eyebrows scrunched together when he saw that he had a few text messages, but none of them were from Jonathan. And he didn't have any missed calls, either.

Something wasn't right.

Luke dialed Jonathan again and paced a little as he listened to it ring. He knew for sure that something was wrong when it went again to voicemail. He thought for a minute or two, trying to think of something to do before going over to Jonathan's. He wanted to be sure that something was wrong before going over there and finding himself in an awkward situation.

Luke finally figured it out and called Evan. Jonathan always answered for him, no matter what he was doing. It was kind of weird to be honest.

Halfway through the second ring, Evan picked up. "Yo," he said immediately.

"Hey, Evan? I think something's wrong with Jonathan," Luke said quickly.

Evan was quiet for a few seconds. "Care to elaborate?" he asked.

"He's not answering my calls, and it's been more than three hours since the first time I called him, and he hasn't called back or even messaged me." Luke explained, breathing quickly.

"Whoa, dude, calm down," Evan said. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Luke's voice was louder than he meant it to be. "Sorry, I'm just really out of it now, all of a sudden." he explained quickly.

"That's fine. I'll try calling him, and I'll get back to you?" Evan said.

"Yeah, that sounds great," Luke agreed.

"All right, I'll be back with you in a minute or so," Evan said before he hung up.

Evan first tried Jonathan's phone, and started feeling Luke's worry when he got voicemail. Evan didn't leave a message and went quickly to his computer. He tried contacting Jonathan through Skype, gave up after a few lengthed tries, and called Luke back.

"Nothing," Evan said the moment that Luke picked up, which was almost immediately.

"Seriously?!" Luke sounded frightened through the phone.

"Didn't pick up, and never answered any of my skype calls." Evan explained.

"All right, I'm heading over there right now," Luke said, heading outside. "I'll let you know what's going on and I'll even tell the rest of the guys if I have to."

Luke hung up and climbed into his car. He started the engine and backed out of his driveway, heading towards Jonathan's house. Parking on the street in front of the house, Luke got out and hurried up to the door. Even though Jonathan had given him a spare key and he had the ability to, Luke knew that he shouldn't just go barging in. If Jonathan was just refusing to answer his phone, or couldn't because it was either dead or his bill wasn't paid, then it would be pretty weird if Luke just walked in.

So Luke waited a minute after ringing Jonathan's doorbell before letting himself in. The house was quiet, and Luke was beginning to think that Jonathan just wasn't home. There was a clicking noise and then Jonathan's dog, Spike, came into view. Luke bent over to scratch him behind the ears, receiving a lick on the hand in return.

"Hey, Spike. Where's Del?" Luke asked the brown and white dog.

Spike barked and padded away. Luke didn't follow him, but instead looked around. Jonathan's phone was on the kitchen counter, and it looked like he wasn't the only one who had tried contacting him. His two calls plus Evan's only made three, and when Luke looked at it, the phone said that there were five missed calls, one of them being recent. More recent than Evan's.

Luke wandered through the different rooms for a short minute, before finally heading into Jonathan's basement. He had his recording room down here, so if anything, he would have to be there, since he wasn't anywhere else in the house.

"Del?" Luke called out at the bottom of the stairs. No response. "Jonathan? Are you down here?"

Luke stopped outside the Jonathan's recording room. The door was closed, so he gave a quick, loud knock. Silence. He pushed open the door. What he saw made him roll his eyes.

Jonathan. Asleep. At the computer.

"Really, Del? How long did you stay awake for this time? Geez." Luke stood next to Jonathan and saw that he was still wearing his mask.

He took it off carefully and placed on the desk. Even though he would have to wake him up, he tried not to. Mostly because he couldn't help but smile at the peaceful expression on Jonathan's face. He was adorable sometimes, and it was ridiculous.

"Come on, man. Wake up." Luke shook Jonathan gently. He tried again a little harder when Jonathan didn't react. "Holy shit, just how deeply can you sleep?" Luke was totally bewildered when he sat Jonathan up in his chair and he still didn't wake.

This couldn't have been normal. Jonathan didn't sleep _that_ deeply. . . Did he? It was then that Luke noticed the stain. It was dark, and reddish looking, and located on the lower right sleeve of Jonathan's blue sweater. Luke moved around the chair and lifted the sleeve up Jonathan's arm to reveal a cut. It wasn't very big, but it was fresh, so Luke got really worried.

"Jonathan?" Luke looked at his best friend's face and noticed how pale it appeared to be. Luke spun the chair around so that Jonathan's front was facing him. "Dude, would you wake the fuck up?!"

Luke grabbed Jonathan's legs and practically pulled him out of the chair. He picked him up under the arms, and carried him to the stairs. Spike was sitting at the top, watching as Luke dragged Jonathan up one step at a time. Once he was finally at the top of the stairs, he readjusted Jonathan's position, so that he was now carrying him bridal style out to his car. He put him in the back seat before going back inside to let Spike out into Jonathan's backyard.

After that, Luke was quickly driving to the hospital. He knew Jonathan well enough to know that he never slept this hard. Something wasn't right, and it was scary just thinking about what might be wrong. Luke called ahead, alerting the nearest hospital that he was coming, and pulled into the entrance they had told him to.

He quickly climbed out of his car to help with getting Jonathan inside, before he went to find a place to park. When Luke went back inside the building, he could only wait by the doors. One of the doctors that had been waiting to bring Jonathan in came back to the entrance and gestured for Luke to follow him.

Luke's heart was beating fast from his worry and fear for Jonathan, and he was nervously curling and uncurling his fingers as he followed the doctor through the hallways. They stopped outside one of the rooms and Luke was told to wait outside the door. He paced a little in front of the closed door, impatiently waiting for word. His phone suddenly went off and Luke jumped, but he quickly silenced it before it caused any kind of disturbance.

It was a text message from Evan.

 _E- I thought that you would let me know what's wrong right away?_

Luke sighed as he typed in his reply.

 _L- I didn't say right away, Evan, I just said I would let you know._

 _E- And do you know?_

 _L- Not entirely. Del was at his computer when I found him, and for some reason I just couldn't wake him up._

 _E- Aww, did he look too at peace?_

 _L- Lol, actually he did. But that's not what I mean. I tried to wake him up, but he wouldn't wake._

 _E- What did you do?_

 _L- I'm at the hospital awaiting word right now, actually. I brought him here after I saw he was bleeding. I basically panicked._

 _E- Hey, it's okay. I would do the same. How long have you been waiting?_

 _L- Not very long. A few minutes at the least._

 _E- Let me know what's going on as soon as you can._

 _L- I will. I'll tell you and whoever else of the group is available when I get home._

Luke put his phone away and went back to pacing. It was another few minutes before the door finally opened. He turned quickly on the spot to face the doctor. His stomach dropped when he saw the doctor's expression.

"How long ago was it that you last made contact with Jonathan?" the doctor asked.

"Uh, last night. Just before ten." Luke answered.

"All right, well, I'm afraid that he's in a coma, and we can't find the reason as to why." the doctor explained.

Luke's heart dropped as the shock filled his brain. "A coma?" he repeated breathlessly.

The doctor nodded sadly. "We'll try to do what we can, but otherwise all that we can do is wait for him to wake up."

Luke didn't know what to think of this news. He rubbed his hands over his eyes, preventing the tears that had begun to well up from slipping down his face. It was a few hours after he got home that Luke finally skyped Evan.

Tyler, Craig, Bryce, and Brock joined the call, and most of them figured something was up just by the look on Luke's face.

"Okay, what's this about?" Tyler asked.

"It's about Delirious," Evan explained.

"Why? Did something happen?" Bryce asked, suddenly concerned.

"Yeah," Luke said slowly.

"Whoa, is he okay?" Craig moved forward a little in his chair.

"I honestly don't know," Luke said. "He was like that when I found him."

"Wait, is he dead?!" Tyler gasped suddenly.

"What? No!" Luke explained quickly. "But. . . he is in a coma."

Everyone fell silent. Luke scratched his forehead. "They don't know what's caused it, which really just makes it worse," he said.

"How long ago did you find this out?" Brock asked.

Luke hesitated. "A couple of hours." he answered finally.

"How are we. . . How should we take care of this problem?" Bryce asked.

"What problem? There's nothing we can do," Evan said.

"No, I mean what about his channel? Surely there's still some way we can keep his subscribers from getting concerned?" Bryce said.

Luke paused. Bryce made a good point. How would they keep Jonathan's fans from getting worried about him?

"I have to head over there to take care of Spike anyways, so I could probably upload one of his backup videos?" he suggested.

"That could work," Craig said.

"Yeah," Brock agreed. "But for how long?"

"I don't know, but I'll try to keep it constant," Luke said. "I don't actually know how many videos Del has currently recorded and ready, but I'll figure out some kind of schedule."

"All right, well, as long as we can keep things at ease. Not let any of our fans know what's really going on with Delirious," Tyler said.

Silence fell between the six of them for a few moments, before Brock spoke up. "So, how are we going to tell the others?" he asked.

"Through private messaging, obviously," Evan said.

"Yeah, it's the only logical way," Craig said pointedly.

While Craig, Tyler, Brock, Evan, and Bryce argued over the simplest things of the problem at hand, Luke was slowly drifting off into his thoughts.

Jonathan was really tired when they were talking yesterday, and Luke had told him to get some sleep and then ended the call. The next thing he knows, Jonathan is in a coma. Had there been something wrong with Jonathan that was making him so tired? Had Luke basically fated his best friend to his possible death?

Was this all Luke's fault?

"Cartoonz, are you okay? You've gone all distant suddenly." Bryce brought Luke from his thoughts.

"What?" Luke felt his heart skip a beat. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Evan leaned in closer to his camera, a brow raised. "You sure?" he asked slowly.

Bryce, Craig, Tyler, and Brock were all looking unconvinced by his words, like Evan, and Luke sighed. "Honestly. . . no, I'm not." He pressed his face into one of his hands.

"How so?" Tyler asked.

"I don't know why. . . I guess I'm just blaming myself for this." Luke explained tiredly.

"Wait, how does finding Delirious the way you did make it your fault?" Evan asked. "You basically saved him."

Luke shook his head. "No, I was talking with him last night and he was really tired, so I told him to get some sleep." Luke could feel his eyes getting wet with tears. "I should have noticed something was wrong. . ."

"Hey! Luke, calm down! It isn't your fault!" Brock exclaimed.

"You couldn't have known unless Jonathan told you, and he would have to know something's not right with himself just to do so," Craig said.

Luke looked at his computer screen and saw that everyone was looking directly into their camera. He could tell by the expressions on their faces that they were being serious.

Luke looked away from his computer. "I know, but I can't help but feel some sort of responsibility over him." he sighed.

"Hey, it's understandable. You're like a brother to him," Bryce said. "You just feel that sibling responsibility, right?"

"That's about right, yeah." Luke looked back at his computer again. The reason was actually something else, but he wasn't going to say it out loud to the guys.

"Okay, but you should really remember that there are other people who care about him and that he's not just _your_ responsibility." Bryce pointed out. "And I'm pretty sure that he's able to take care of himself." He added.

"You'll let us know how his condition progresses over the next few days, won't you?" Craig asked.

"Yeah, I will." Luke promised.

The call ended and Luke was left alone. He sat at his desk for several minutes before heading back over to Jonathan's. He took care of Spike; letting him outside and feeding him, and then trying to figure out if he should leave him here or take Spike to his place. Finally deciding to just bring him with, Luke grabbed the few things that Jonathan had for his dog and put them into his car.

Spike must have figured that he was being taken somewhere, because when Luke went back inside the house, he was all over him.

"Okay, calm down, Spike!" Luke kneeled over, though immediately regretted it when he was ambushed with face licks as he tried to attach Spike's leash to his collar. "All right, come on," he said as he stood up again and wiped his shirt over his face.

Once in the car again, Luke started the engine and looked at Jonathan's house momentarily before finally driving back home. The rest of the day was very uneventful, with only the silence to surround him. Luke didn't know why, but he was up late, staring blankly at his ceiling while Spike snored lightly on the floor next to the bed.

It was a while before Luke fell asleep, though he didn't remember doing so when he woke up the next morning. It was almost eight when he did, and Luke really didn't want to get up. For more than one reason. It wasn't just because of Jonathan's coma and the fact that it was still too early, it was also because he _couldn't_ get up.

Spike was lying directly over him, preventing Luke from actually being able to move. When Luke was finally unable to stay in bed, he woke up the dog and slipped onto the floor and half dragged himself to the bathroom. When he'd eaten breakfast and fed Spike, letting him outside into the yard afterwards, he left to run the errands he had to that morning.

Luke was gone for several hours, and when he was finally able to go home, he went in the opposite direction, towards the hospital.

Nothing had changed with Jonathan's state, and the doctors were still unsure of what had caused his coma in the first place, so they couldn't do any kind of treatment. Luke really hated having to tell the guys, even though this was really just day two, that nothing had changed.

"Well, at least he's not getting any worse?" Marcel said.

"Yeah, that's true," Evan agreed.

"But he's not getting any better, either." Luke sighed.

Hours were slow as hell for Luke all of a sudden, and he just wanted time to fly and for Jonathan to wake up. He wanted him to get better, not worse, like he discovered had happened the next day.

It was around noon, and Luke was just arriving at the hospital to see Jonathan, when a doctor walked up to him. Luke recognized him as the one who had helped in bringing Jonathan inside when Luke had brought him in.

"You are here to see your friend?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah," Luke said. "Did something happen?" he was worried by the look on the doctor's face.

"Yes, though we have no idea how," the doctor said. "Follow me."

The doctor, Dr. Jameson, led Luke out of the lobby and down several hallways. He stopped when they reached the room that Jonathan was supposed to be in, but it was empty. Luke's heart began to pound as he started to panic.

"We are not sure how it happened, but Jonathan was discovered just a few minutes ago with a major injury," Dr. Jameson explained.

Now confusion took hold inside Luke's head. "Major injury? But I thought that all he had was that one scratch on his arm?" he looked suspiciously at the doctor in front of him.

"Exactly, which is why we're just as puzzled," Dr. Jameson said.

"Okay, then, what kind of injury?" Luke asked.

"It was in his left shoulder," Dr. Jameson handed Luke a X-Ray photo. "We discovered his collarbone completely shattered and the muscle was torn apart. It looks almost as though he'd been stabbed there, but the skin was unmarked."

Luke was in total bewilderment and shock. How the hell. . . ? What he was seeing must have been Jonathan's left shoulder, but there was no way that it was still the same thing. What should have been one solid piece, was in small bits. How was his collarbone and shoulder blade suddenly like this? There had been nothing wrong with it when Luke had found Jonathan.

"Is he still. . . ?" Luke looked up at Dr. Jameson, his eyes full of fear.

"Currently, we still have him in the emergency surgery," Dr. Jameson explained. "If everything goes well, Jonathan should still be able to use his left arm once it's fully healed."

That much was a relief to Luke. Damage like what he was seeing in the image in his hands wasn't something that would allow continued use if left alone. Just the fact that Jonathan was even still alive was huge.

"We'll let you know how the surgery goes if you want us to?" Dr. Jameson asked.

"Uh, yeah. Please do," Luke responded quickly.

Dr. Jameson nodded before he left Luke in the room. Luke was quick to leave, though. He couldn't stand another minute at that hospital for some reason, and he wasn't sure why. Normally he would want to wait around for word of how it went. The moment Luke was in his car again, he was immediately texting Evan.

 _L- It's bad._

It was a few seconds before Evan responded.

 _E- What happened?_

 _L- I just arrived at the hospital to hear something absolutely horrible._

 _E- What?_

 _L- Jonathan was taken into an emergency surgery for something that happened with his shoulder. I've got no clue how it happened, but then again, neither do the doctors._

 _E- Seriously, Luke. WHAT HAPPENED?!_

 _L- Somehow Jon's left shoulder was ripped apart on the inside. His collarbone was completely shattered and his muscle is torn up. They said it looked like he'd been stabbed with something, but his skin was untouched._

 _E- That's not weird or supernatural sounding in any way. . ._

 _L- Ikr? It has me extremely worried._

 _E- How long ago did you discover this?_

 _L- Like, about ten minutes ago._

 _L- Not even._

 _E- Okay, how do we tell the others? They want to know what's going on._

 _L- I don't know, just figure out some way to tell them!_

 _E- Luke, are you okay?_

 _L- NO I AM NOT OKAY! I JUST FOUND OUT MY BEST FRIEND BASICALLY ALMOST DIED!_

 _E- . . ._

 _L- . . . Sorry, I'm just really stressed out right now._

 _E- No, that's okay. I'm just as worried about him as you are. I'm sure that everyone is._

 _L- Right, I know._

Luke had his forehead pressed against his steering wheel for several minutes before he sent one last message to Evan.

 _L- I just want this all to be over. . . for him to wake up._

 _E- We all do._

Luke started his car again and left the parking lot. He drove home in silence, tears slowly slipping down his face. His vision was blurred so that he eventually had to wipe his eyes to clear it.

And in that short moment, he couldn't see what was in front of him. Even though Luke let off on the gas pedal just a bit, he was at an intersection in his neighborhood. And there was another car coming. When Luke looked ahead of him again, it was too late.

He finally saw the car driving towards him and slammed his foot on the breaks, hoping that he wasn't too late to stop, but they weren't watching the road and crashed right into the side of his vehicle.

There was a loud crunching sound of metal on metal, and of the side of Luke's car scraping the asphalt road. Luke could feel several of his bones break as he was crushed by the impact of the other car. His car was finally rolled over onto the roof, and Luke was was knocked out.

When he came to shortly afterwards, his whole body ached and burned with pain, and there was blood spilling down his face and arms, and pooling on the roof of his car. His whole body was in pain, but the part that seemed to hurt the most was his head. His vision was all foggy, and Luke couldn't quite make out what was going on or what was around him, but he could tell that he was upside down.

He heard the faint noise of another car door opening, and then a scream. Luke was beginning to lose consciousness again and finally passed out when the sound of wailing sirens was heard in the distance.

Jonathan, or Delirious, had wished that Luke had been with him inside the game, bad enough to make it happen. What helped was that Luke just wanted Jonathan to wake up, come back to him.

So, like the others, Luke was pulled into the game.


	22. The Misty Forest

_**Try thinking hard about some things that occur in this chapter. Some of the words and the way their ordered may or may not be a hint of foreshadowing!**_

* * *

The air was cold, and Jack opened his eyes to see a thin canopy of dark leaves high above him. He sat up and looked around, seeing mist and trees everywhere. This was most certainly The Macmillian Estate, and the monster this time was most certainly to be The Trapper. But Jack didn't really seem to care at the moment. He knew that he should start looking for Delirious and Avery, but why bother when it was just those two?

Mark had been snatched by The Hillbilly at the last second, and Jack hadn't been able to save him. By now Mark was dead, and Jack couldn't do anything about it. His best friend was gone, and Jack could never tell him how he felt.

Jack moved backward over the ground until he was against the tree above him. His eyes welled up with tears and his side hurt just slightly. But surprisingly, the pain felt good, and Jack's chest began to throb as he cried. Cried from the pain. Cried for Mark.

The one person in the world that he truly loved.

Avery woke up and was quickly on her feet. She was in the Killer's Shack, but didn't stay for too long. She had to find Delirious before something happened to him. Avery left the small building and started following a trail of discarded objects. Objects like thin bars of metal, probably once hooks, and crates of old things. Nothing specific, just old items that had once belonged to the Macmillan family.

There was a heavy mist engulfing the area, but Avery was able to maneuver her way through it, dodging a large bear trap that lay open at one point. Avery was still walking around when she heard a noise and stopped. She listened intently, trying to figure out if it was one of the others or The Trapper. It must have been Mark, Jack, or Delirious, because it sounded like. . . sobbing?

Slowly, Avery moved towards the sound, and then she saw Jack sitting underneath one of the trees. Why was he crying, though?

"Jack?" Avery said, freezing when Jack looked up and saw her.

"Oh, hey. . . Avery," Jack looked uncertainly at the ground in front of him as Avery approached him.

"Are. . . you okay?" Avery asked.

"No," Jack said, sniffling.

Avery looked around nervously. "What. . . what happened?" she asked.

"It's just the three of us, now," Jack said. "You, me, and Delirious. Mark never made it off of Coldwind Farm. Tha fookin` Hillbilly grabbed him at the last second and forced me past the barrier so that I couldn't save him. . ." Jack explained, his voice cracking.

Shock overwhelmed Avery right then and there. Mark was. . . dead? She didn't know how to react to this, and only knew that she felt guilt all over for Mark's death.

"I. . . never wanted it to be like this," Avery said quietly. "This wasn't supposed to happen. . ." Avery fell back against the tree, her legs barely able to hold her up all of a sudden.

Jack wiped his hands over his eyes. _Neither did I,_ he thought.

Avery took a deep breath and stood up straight again, forcing determination to fill her. "I won't stand for any more of this, Jack," she said. "I promise you that I will get you and Delirious outta here, even if I can't follow. I got us all into this, and I will get you guys out. If making sure that you two live costs me my own life, then so be it!"

Jack looked up at Avery quickly. "What?! No! You can't just give yourself up like that!" he protested.

Avery didn't listen to Jack's protest, and she marched off in search of Delirious. Jack sighed heavily as he watched her before finally getting to his feet. He couldn't just let Avery go off on her own, she would probably end up getting herself killed before either of them got out of the game.

"Avery, slow down!" Jack called after Avery when she had pulled ahead quite a bit.

Avery stopped and looked behind her at Jack. "Sorry, I just really want to find Delirious and fix the generators so that we can finally get out of here," she said.

"Wait, you mean that this is the last map we'll be facing?" Jack asked, getting excited.

Avery thought for a moment. "Well, there is one more that we might end up on, but I'm not sure. There is probably a high chance of it, though," she said plainly.

"Another map?" Jack asked, confused.

Avery never answered him and kept walking. Jack could only follow her through the trees in silence. Avery didn't seem to want to listen to him, and would just ignore any of Jack's protests.

They walked in silence for a while, until they came across a generator. Avery was immediately working to repair it, but Jack looked around first before joining in to help. The wires took Jack longer than normal, but he eventually got them all tied together and moved on to the rest of the parts. Avery had changed sides, and was already almost done with the second one.

 _She's trying to keep her mind off of it,_ Jack guessed.

He was trying to keep his own mind off of Mark, too. He wanted to think about something else, like escaping, but it always went back to Mark. Like how he wouldn't be escaping _with_ them.

Finally, the light above the generator came on, and Jack and Avery took off, leaving it behind them. Once they were a fairly safe distance away, they finally stopped.

"That's one of however many," Avery said.

"The sooner we find the safe point, the better. Not only will we know how many generators there are, but we'll have a place to go." Jack looked around them nervously. He wasn't sure if what he was hearing was Delirious, The Trapper, or something else, but he didn't like it. "I hope H2O is okay."

"You and me both," Avery agreed.

She recognized the area they were now in, and that was because of the bear trap that still lay open a few feet away.

"How do we disarm it?" Jack asked. "We're not gonna have one of us just stick our hand in there, are we?" He eyed the open trap nervously.

Avery shook her head. "No, that's too dangerous. I don't know how it works in the actual game, but I'm not willing to take any risks," she said.

Jack sighed with relief. "So, there's gotta be something around here that we can use to stick onto the plate?" He started looking around and picked up one of the thin bars of metal.

"That'll work," Avery said.

Jack approached the bear trap and lowered the bar into it, pressing down on the trigger plate. The trap snapped shut loudly, making Jack jump as it nearly broke the bar.

"Well, I guess that's that," Avery said.

"Not quite," Jack was now looking behind them. "We might want ta start running!"

Avery spun around and saw what Jack meant. The Trapper was heading towards them quickly, raising its weapon, a large spiked machete. Avery started running after Jack, who had grabbed her arm and took off. The Trapper dashed after them, and somehow got in front of them. It swung the machete between them, splitting them apart.

Jack curved in his path and ran back the original direction that he and Avery had come while Avery went around The Trapper and kept running, looking back at Jack and trying to follow. The Trapper followed Jack, and though she wanted to go after them, Avery thought better of it.

Jack ran until his side had a stitch and he was out of breath. He hadn't lost The Trapper, but now had no idea where he was. He saw a shed nearby and ran inside, closing the door as quickly and quietly as he could behind him. Pressing himself against the wood, Jack held his breath as he heard the heavy footsteps just outside. There was an annoyed grunt, and then the footsteps grew fainter and further away until they were finally gone.

Jack let out all the air he'd been holding in, and slid down the door onto the floor. After a few moments, he opened his eyes again and looked around the shed. It was dark, and there weren't any windows. The only light that filtered into the shed was coming through a large hole in the roof.

The moonlight was reflecting off of something pinned to the wall, and when Jack moved closer to it, he was relieved.

It was a note with a large number nine written on it. Already there were two tally marks. Wait? Two? Either Avery had found another generator and was able to repair it really quickly, or Delirious had been able to do something with just one arm. Either way, they were all closer to escaping.

* * *

The Trapper split them apart, and Avery wanted to go after Jack, but instead kept running straight. She hated having left Jack behind to The Trapper, but if she knew him, he would find a way to escape. Hopefully.

Avery stopped running and looked behind her. She had run pretty far from where she and Jack were separated, and couldn't see any landmark that might seem at all familiar. Avery was walking forward slowly, as she didn't want to miss anything. As she walked, a structure grew visible ahead of her, and then Avery recognized it as the Coal Tower.

Sometimes the basement was located inside the large tower, but when Avery entered the building, the stairs that led into the basement wasn't where it always was. That meant it was at the Killer's Shack, somewhere on the map, as it was the only other place that the basement could be. Avery circled the large machinery in the middle of the tower until she reached the stairs that led to the upper floor.

Climbing the iron staircase, Avery peeked inside each closet. She wasn't willing to miss Delirious if he was here. It was a good thing that she looked inside each closet, because in the one next to the doorway in the small room on the top floor, there was the masked man.

When Avery opened the door, Delirious screamed, scaring the living daylights out of her, and she jumped back. A moment later, Delirious realized who had opened the closet.

"Oh, shit! I'm sorry, Avery! I thought you were. . . uh, you know," Delirious said, a bit awkwardly.

Avery let out a large breath. "Yeah, I do know. But god! You scared the hell outta me right there!" she panted. "What were you doing in there anyways?" she asked after catching her breath again.

"I heard something downstairs and thought that it was the killer, so I hid. But now I guess that it had actually been you." Delirious explained

Avery smiled in amusement.

Jack had found the hideout, and now all he had to do was find Avery. And Delirious. He left the small shed and started heading in the opposite direction of which he'd come. It was the same direction that Avery had run, so he thought that he might find her that way somehow.

Jack was heading towards a structure in the near distance, but was going slowly, almost as though he were planning to circle it first. He was almost at what he now saw was the large Coal Tower when he saw a generator.

Jack made for it but changed directions when he spotted a hook. Best to take it apart before getting to work on the generator. Jack wanted to be safe, and though he didn't know how many hooks were on the entire map, this one appeared to be nearest.

Jack jumped up and grabbed the hook, hanging for a moment before attempting to pull himself up. When he was finally high enough to grab the metal beam the hook was attached to, Jack started pulling himself over the top of it. He gave himself a breather when he was finally balanced over the beam, and then slid forward a little and started fumbling with the silver clip.

It clicked when it opened, and Jack threw it onto the ground. He began undoing the binding, and nearly fell on his face when he jumped down. Jack picked up the hook and went over to the generator. He looked around before getting to work on it.

It took much longer than Jack would have liked, but the light came on above him at last and Jack turned away from the newly repaired machine. He was heading away from the Coal Tower suddenly, and when Jack turned towards it again, he heard something that made him freeze.

The area was silent, but then it came again. It sounded like someone shouting, and then Jack quickly recognized the voice as Delirious'. Jack turned on the spot, scanning the area in the direction of Delirious' yelling.

"Jack!" Jack spotted Delirious, now running towards him, looking panicked.

Even with the mask, Jack could tell that something had freaked Delirious out.

"Whoa, H2O, what's wrong?" Jack asked when Delirious had reached him.

It took a minute for Delirious to answer, because he was out of breath. "I. . ." he panted. "I need your help," Delirious straightened up and looked right at Jack, his eyes wide with fright. "I think there's something wrong with Avery!"


	23. Delirious' Dilemma

_**So, sorry about all of the cliffhangers. (Not really)**_

* * *

Delirious remembered leaving the others through the escape hatch. He didn't know what happened afterwards, but could only assume that they all made it out. Now all he had to do was find them.

Delirious sat up before opening his eyes to find himself on top of a hill, and there were patches of mist on all sides. His left shoulder felt extremely stiff, and he couldn't feel his arm. Delirious tried moving it, but nothing happened. His arm was good for nothing now, and just sat in its swing limply inside his sweater.

Delirious lifted his mask up and rubbed his fingers over his eyes. He rolled over onto his knees and brought his legs up underneath him. He slowly rose to his feet, though it was proving a bit difficult to remain standing. It was definitely easier than before, but was still hard. Once Delirious felt that he was stable enough to walk, he carefully made his way down the hill, using the rocks on the side for extra support.

When he reached the bottom, Delirious looked around. There was a light coming from something nearby, and he decided to investigate it. It turned out to be a barrel with a fire crackling at its top, and there was a hook just next to it.

Delirious felt his shoulder twitch slightly, sending a small jolt of pain up his neck. He could feel anger and fear mixing inside his gut, and was quick to just grab the hook with his hand. Delirious jerked on it with what strength he had, and snapped the clip in half, causing it to fall to the ground instantly. All that was left was the binding, and Delirious took that off easily. He just tore the hook away from the beam, and then went over to the wooden pillar that held the beam.

There was a large rock just behind the pillar, and Delirious pulled himself up onto it. He started pounding his feet against the pillar, making it creak ominously. He gave one last kick, and then the wood snapped in multiple places. The pillar groaned as it toppled over, crashing to the ground.

Feeling satisfied, Delirious hopped off the rock, picked up the hook from the ground, and walked away, stepping around a bear trap as he left. He wandered a small distance before he came across a generator. Looking around, Delirious bent down next to it and, placing the hook on the ground next to him, stuck his hand inside the generator to start working on it. Not surprisingly, there wasn't much that he could do.

He was able to tighten some loose bolts, but when it came to the wires, he couldn't do anything. Delirious growled in frustration when the generator sparked and jumped out of the way before it blew. The bang was deafening, but Delirious didn't dare go too far away from the machine. He knew that the killer was alerted to his location, but there was the chance that Jack, Mark, or Avery might get here first.

Delirious left the generator and hid in a small patch of bushes nearby. He wasn't giving up on this generator, and tried to remain calm when The Trapper appeared. He could feel his heart beating faster as the killer prowled around the generator, looking for him. Delirious held his breath when the red glow The Trapper was emitting flashed towards him and the killer paused.

Then it ran.

Towards him.

Delirious knew that he'd been spotted and stood quickly, running from the generator and heading towards a hazy structure in the distance. He was tiring quickly, since he was already weakened by his shoulder injury, and The Trapper was catching up.

Suddenly, Delirious' foot was caught in something, and pain spread up his leg. Delirious looked back and saw that he'd stepped in a bear trap, and also saw that The Trapper was almost on top of him. Delirious struggled to force the trap open, but with one hand it was much harder than it was with two. He tried pulling on the metal with his hand and pushing with his free foot, and the trap budged just a tiny bit. Thankfully, the trap was broken a little, so it hadn't pierced his leg too deep.

But it wasn't enough to slip his leg out. The Trapper stopped next to him and opened the trap and went to pick him up, but Delirious wasn't having it. He refused to be killed this way, and took the hook in hand again. He swung it at The Trapper, piercing the killer's thigh. The Trapper growled in pain and fury, swinging its large machete at Delirious.

Delirious dodged the blow and bolted, going as fast as his leg would allow. He reached the large structure, which he now saw was the Coal Tower, and went inside. He circled the bronze machinery in the middle and headed up the stairs, not stopping until he reached the top floor. Delirious went over to the closet standing next to the window and threw open its doors and hid inside.

Delirious didn't know how long he was waiting before he heard something downstairs. He forced his breath to fall silent as he tried to listen to the sounds outside the closet. He could hear other doors squeaking, and realized that whoever was just outside his closet, was looking inside each one.

Then, one of the doors on the closet he was in opened just slightly, and Delirious accidentally let out a shriek. The person who had opened the closet was startled, jumping backward violently. It took a moment for Delirious to recognize Avery.

"Oh, shit! I'm sorry, Avery! I thought you were. . . uh, you know," Delirious said, a bit awkwardly.

Avery let out a large breath. "Yeah, I do know. But god! You scared the hell outta me right there!" she panted. "What were you doing in there anyways?" she asked after catching her breath again.

"I heard something downstairs and thought that it was the killer, so I hid. But now I guess that it had actually been you." Delirious explained

Avery smiled in amusement. But then her expression turned serious. "What happened to you after you escaped?" she asked worriedly, noticing that Delirious' leg was bleeding.

"Well, for starters, when I woke up I couldn't feel anything in my arm. I still can't feel anything. I think that at this point it's just gone." Delirious sighed, looking sorrowfully at the lump beneath his sweater that was his arm.

"I see you managed to take down a hook," Avery said, nodding towards the black metal object in Delirious' hand.

He looked down at it quickly. "Oh, yeah. I actually demolished it."

Avery cocked her head in confusion. "What do you mean by that?" she asked curiously.

"I didn't just rip this hook off the stand, but I managed to knock the pillar over," Delirious explained.

Avery's eyes widened at the thought of one those thick pillars getting knocked over. The fact alone that it was Delirious that had done it was shocking in itself. "I'm not even going to ask how you managed that," she said after a few seconds.

"After that, I found a generator, but I couldn't get it fully repaired. . ." Delirious looked at the wall quietly after his voice seemed to vanish.

"Well, it goes towards our escape, so in a way you were still helping," Avery said reassuringly. "Do you remember where it is?"

Delirious shook his head. "I had to to run from The Trapper after that, and I was almost caught after stepping in a stupid bear trap," Delirious huffed. "Luckily, I was able to defend myself." he added, raising the hook in his right hand up a little.

A small, nervous smile formed on Avery's face, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding in. "Well, for all I know, The Trapper isn't anywhere near here, so let's go try to find Jack. I made a promise to him that I would get you guys out of here."

Avery started heading for the stairs outside the building, and Delirious was about to follow when he suddenly wondered why Avery hadn't mentioned Mark.

 _Find only Jack,_ Delirious thought. _What happened to Mark?_ He was about to ask Avery but realized that she was gone. He quickly went outside and saw she was already halfway down the stairs and hurried after her.

"Try not to go too fast for me, Avery," Delirious said when he caught up to her.

Avery looked back and understood what Delirious meant when she saw him flinch with pain. Delirious had already lost quite a bit of blood from when he'd been hooked not too long ago, and now he was limping from the new injury to his leg. It didn't seem to be bleeding anymore, which was good, but Avery could tell that it was still causing Delirious some trouble.

"Right," she said, starting to walk again but at a slower pace.

Avery looked back every now and then, just to see how Delirious was getting along. It startled her when he suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her by the back of her shirt. Avery stared wide eyed at Delirious until he nodded at the ground in front of her.

"Bear trap," he said.

Avery looked at the ground and saw the large metal trap. It was placed directly in front of her, and she had almost stepped in it, but luckily Delirious had been there to stop her.

"Thanks," Avery gasped at the close call. She backed away from the trap and let Delirious take her place.

He held the hook by the round pointed end and pressed it onto the trigger plate. The trap snapped shut on the hook, and when Delirious tried to pull it out, it didn't move.

"Shit," Delirious muttered, placing his uninjured foot on the trap and trying to pull the hook out again. The metal made a scraping noise as the hook came out some, but hardly any difference was made. "Fucking damn it!" Delirious growled in frustration.

As Delirious struggled with getting the hook free from the trap, Avery was suddenly feeling really light headed. It hurt to breath, and for some reason, she couldn't figure out where she was. It was weird, considering she thought she knew just a second ago.

Delirious finally figured out how to open the trap himself and was able to get the hook free. When the trap snapped shut again, this time triggered by a rock, Delirious heard a soft _thud_ behind him. He turned and saw that Avery was lying on the ground, but it didn't look like she got into that position on purpose.

"Avery?" Delirious stepped closer to Avery and got to his knees, placing the hook next to him. "Hey, Avery," he shook her shoulder gently.

Avery didn't move, and Delirious was growing worried. He put his hand over her forehead, and it didn't feel too warm or too cold, but when he checked Avery's pulse, he felt his own go quicker. Avery's pulse was really faint, and it sent Delirious into a panic.

He stood up and looked around carefully before leaving Avery to look for help. He didn't dare go very far, and luckily, he didn't have to. A generator went off in the distance and Delirious immediately knew that someone had just fixed it. He started calling out for Mark or Jack, and it wasn't long before he saw Jack.

"Jack!" Delirious ran towards him, ignoring the sting of pain in his leg.

"Whoa, H2O, what's wrong?" Jack asked, picking up on Delirious' panic quickly.

Delirious gave himself a moment to catch his breath before he finally tried speaking. "I . . . I need your help," he panted. "I think there's something wrong with Avery!"


	24. Too Far

"I think there's something wrong with Avery!"

Jack's eyes widened at Delirious' words, but he was quick to jump out of his trance. "Where did you last see her?" he asked.

"Over this way!" Delirious didn't wait for Jack to follow on his own. He grabbed him by the arm and practically dragged Jack back towards Avery.

When Jack saw her, he got down on his knees by her head while Delirious watched nervously.

"What happened?" Jack demanded, looking up at Delirious, who now had a hook in his hand.

"I don't know. I was just disarming that trap," Delirious pointed with the hook at the closed bear trap nearby. "She just suddenly collapsed behind me."

Jack looked back down at Avery. She looked suddenly pale, and Jack was worried by it. Delirious was looking around them nervously. This was really one of the worst times that The Trapper could appear in front of them, and he really wanted to make sure that it didn't happen.

"Avery! Hey," Jack gasped suddenly and Delirious looked over.

Avery's eyes were open again and she looked confused. "What. . . what h-happened?" she stammered.

"I don't know, you tell me," Jack said.

Avery blinked and sat up. She looked at Jack and then at Delirious. They both saw the realization dawn on her face as she suddenly remembered what was going on.

"I. . . don't actually remember what happened," she said.

Jack looked at Delirious, who had stopped looking around for the moment. He looked back at Jack with the same worried expression, and although no one could actually see it beneath his mask, Jack could only guess that it was similar to his. Jack turned back to Avery, and while he was double checking that she was okay, Delirious was getting a weird feeling.

He was constantly looking around them, keeping his eyes out for The Trapper, but the strange thing was, he wasn't feeling any threat from this odd sensation. What freaked him out the most was how familiar it felt. Delirious felt a cold shiver as it coursed through his body at the thought of Mark. He didn't know why, but Avery hadn't mentioned him when she said to look for Jack. Either the hideout was found and Mark was waiting for them there, or he was. . .

Delirious quickly looked at Jack and Avery when the thought occurred to him. Were they not telling him something?

"Okay, well, I'm just glad tha you're alright," Jack said before Delirious could voice his suspicion. "Hey, I found the hideout, by the way. We should get back there before doing anything else." Jack added more positively.

"Yes, thank god!" Avery exclaimed. "I need to be somewhere where it isn't dangerous."

Jack started leading Avery in the direction of the hideout, and Delirious was forced to follow by his thought of not wanting to be left alone again. As they walked, Delirious began feeling really tired. More tired than he already was, and it got to the point where he thought he would drop from exhaustion.

Finally, they reached the hideout, which Delirious and Avery now saw was a shed that was falling apart, but it was still the safe point. Jack closed the door behind them all and when he turned around, Delirious and Avery were already on the floor. Delirious had put himself in one of the corners, and it wasn't long before he fell asleep.

Avery didn't look too concerned, but there was still a hint of worry in her voice when she said, "He must have been exhausted, and from what he told me, Delirious did a lot of running around since coming to this map."

Jack nodded in understanding. Delirious was already low on energy and strength just from his injury, and running around with a wound like that would cause anyone to drop. Then Jack saw the sadness on Avery's face, and slid onto the floor next to her.

"I'm sorry that any of this has happened. . . It's all my fault." Avery sighed.

"You made a promise, though," Jack reminded her.

Avery looked up directly into Jack's blue eyes. "Yeah, but what are the chances that I'll actually be able to fulfill it?" she demanded.

"H2O and I are both still alive, so that's something that counts towards it. We're all together right now, and as long as we keep it tha way, nothing should go too terribly wrong." Jack explained softly.

Avery gave him a small, thankful smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right." she admitted. Her expression changed to confusion suddenly and she asked, "Why do you call Delirious 'h2o'?"

Jack shrugged. "Cause no one else does?"

Avery thought about his answer. "Seems like a good enough reason," she said thoughtfully.

"What do ya mean by 'good enough'?" Jack teased.

Avery rolled her eyes. "You know that I'm just saying. . ." Avery paused. "Huh, I don't actually know what I'm saying by that." she realized.

Jack huffed lightly in amusement. "Let's get some rest." he suggested.

At that moment, Avery yawned widely. "Okay, I could really use the sleep. Even though it wasn't too long ago that we did the same thing back on Coldwind Farm."

Avery made herself comfortable a little ways away from their spot next to the wall, and Jack went across the shed from her. He looked at Delirious one last time before closing his own eyes and drifting off into an uneasy sleep.


	25. Surprise Reunions

_**I'm really surprised that no one seemed to see all of the clues I was giving you guys. Or if you did, you just didn't point out that you were.**_

 _ **But in the chapter where Jack found the hideout/safepoint, he found the generator number sheet with two tally marks. He and Avery only got one, and Delirious was unable to complete the one he found. Cartoonz also didn't know how to fix a generator yet.**_

 _ **So, who could have repaired the other generator?**_

* * *

Cartoonz groaned and let out a heavy breath. He forced his eyes open and expected to see a bright light above his head, but instead what he saw was darkness. Not total darkness, so he wasn't blind, which was a relief. It was a clear image of what appeared to be a holed roof. Cartoonz sat up slowly and looked around. He was in some kind of cabin or whatever, with a tunnel that led underground.

Where the hell was he?

It was then that Cartoonz realized that some of his sight was obscured, and he put his hands up to his eyes to try to figure out why that was. He gasped in shock when he realized that his right eye was gone, and when he looked at his hands, he saw that they were red. Not blood red, but the shade was definitely familiar. It reminded Cartoonz of his character for YouTube, and then he realized that he _was_ that character.

Right eye missing, light red skin, gray leather jacket and white T-Shirt and jeans. What the hell was going on?! Cartoonz flew to his feet quickly and looked around wildly. In a short few seconds he realized where he was. _Dead By Daylight_. He recognized the game by the mine entrance he was currently in, but he didn't understand how he was inside a video game. Especially since the last thing he remembered was being in that car accident.

Oh wait, was this by any chance some kind of heaven or hell? Was he dead?

"Well, if that's the case, then this is a weird way to put it," Cartoonz said out loud to no one.

He went outside and looked around, seeing nothing but trees in almost every direction. He knew what he needed to do, but it was just getting started with doing that that seemed to have Cartoonz stuck. First off, he need to find a generator, and they could be anywhere. Were there other people here with him at all?

There were so many possibilities as to what Cartoonz was going through right now. One was he'd suffered a major concussion and was going through some kind of trauma. Another was he was now in a coma like Jonathan and was having a never ending nightmare. A final reason was that he was actually stuck inside a video game.

Because that was logical. . .

Cartoonz was still trying to figure out where to start looking for a generator or possibly other people when he heard something. It sounded like yelling, and Cartoonz recognized the voice to be human. He ran in the direction of the screaming and stopped when he saw movement.

He narrowed his eye to try and see them better, and then Cartoonz realized what he was seeing; it was The Trapper chasing after someone. Cartoonz couldn't see who the person was before they disappeared again, but he wasn't letting that killer go after them. He ran towards The Trapper and practically jumped in front of it to get its attention. When The Trapper saw him, Cartoonz ran.

He randomly dodged around trees and rocks, scouting around a small area until he looked back and saw that The Trapper was all confused. Once he was sure he was safe for now, Cartoonz went back to the mine entrance in hopes that he would find that other person from before there.

He explored the small inside before heading down the tunnel. It didn't go in very far, but it felt like he'd been walking for a while before he ran into a blockage. Cartoonz turned around, and when he came out of the tunnel again, he found that something was different. It was no longer quiet, and to Cartoonz, it sounded like someone was repairing something. Was there a generator nearby that he hadn't spotted?

Cartoonz followed the sound through the building and came outside the back. He saw a generator just feet away from him and could hear someone making repairs to it, though he couldn't actually see them. He carefully went around the generator until he could see the other person.

They looked as though they had been through a lot. His clothes were torn and dirty in places, and his red dyed hair was a mess. There were bandages on his right leg that clearly needed replacing by now, and a few other cuts that were unattended to.

"Uh, hello?" Cartoonz said slowly.

The other man jumped and stopped what he was doing. He looked away from the generator and at Cartoonz, confusion spreading over his fear darkened face. Cartoonz glanced awkwardly to the side before looking back at the man.

"Who are you?" the man asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Uh, I-I'm. . ." Cartoonz tried to figure out which name to use. "Cartoonz?" he said uncertainly.

To Cartoonz's surprise, realization replaced the confusion on the man's face. "Oh! You're Delirious' friend, then." The man stood up and approached him.

"You. . . you know Delirious?" Cartoonz looked the man in front of him over, and then felt something familiar about him.

"Yeah," the man nodded. "Though I can't say we met under the best of circumstances." He held out his hand for Cartoonz to shake. "Name's Mark."

Cartoonz suddenly realized why he felt like he'd seen this guy before. "Markiplier?" he guessed, taking his hand.

Mark nodded.

Cartoonz looked around before asking, "Just what is going on here? Where are we? And why?" He looked at Mark's face with wonder. "More like how." he added quietly.

Mark shrugged. "I don't really understand the whole thing myself, even though I know the reason." he said. "I'm just really confused as to how it is that _you're_ here." Mark looked Cartoonz over as he had him.

"I'd like to know that answer, too," Cartoonz stated. "But how is it you know Delirious?" he asked finally.

"I met him through this whole ordeal. Don't know where he is right now, though." Mark explained.

Cartoonz's eyes widened. "Wait, he's _here_?!" he gasped. "When did you last see him?!" he demanded, stepping closer to Mark.

"Uh, last I saw him was when he and Avery escaped Coldwind Farm!" Mark said quickly, not sure if Cartoonz was willing to threaten him or anything.

"Coldwind Farm. . ." Cartoonz repeated. "So this is _Dead By Daylight_ after all."

"Unfortunately," Mark put in.

"So, I'm assuming we have to beat the game to get out of it or something like that? Or is this eternal?" Cartoonz asked, gesturing towards the generator.

"Yeah, pretty much," Mark answered. "Although I don't think that we're all stuck in some kind of eternal cycle or anything, so you don't have to worry about that." he added.

Cartoonz approached the generator. "How do we fix this, exactly?" he asked.

"Oh," Mark went back to the generator and showed Cartoonz how to repair it.

When he finally got the hang of it, they got the machine fixed a little faster. Once the light came on above them, Mark and Cartoonz ran inside the mine entrance and stayed low for a few minutes. They finally decided that it was safe to leave and went out the other side of the cabin.

It was just trees stretching in every direction, and Cartoonz didn't know where they were supposed to start looking.

"Just how big is the map?" he asked, gazing out at the misty forest around him.

"Don't know," Mark said, unhelpfully. "It varies, I guess. Depends on how many different areas were combined."

"Meaning?" Cartoonz pressed.

"It could be really large," Mark explained.

"So where do we start and what are we supposed to begin with?" Cartoonz asked.

"We start anywhere, and I guess we begin with looking for another generator," Mark started walking off towards a small, distant light. ""It's better than wandering around aimlessly looking for the others." he explained.

"Hmm," Cartoonz nodded, following after Mark quietly.

He didn't like the idea of Delirious being exposed to something like this, even though he'd played the game _Dead By Daylight_ a ton of times before. But maybe it would explain what was going on with him back home. His coma, his shoulder. . .

Even though Cartoonz didn't stop walking, he felt shock stop his breath. He blinked and shook his head, snapping himself out of his sudden trance and looked quickly at Mark. He jogged forward until he was walking next to him.

"Did something. . . happen to Delirious. . . by any chance?" he asked fearfully.

Mark's speed slowed for a moment as he looked at Cartoonz, but then he resumed his regular pace. "Yeah," he said. "Do you mean something specific?"

Cartoonz sighed. "Well, back home, in the real world, he's in a coma and I can now only guess that this is the reason why," he said. Mark remained silent, so he continued. "It was on day two that Delirious. . . that Jonathan was in the hospital when he was suddenly taken into an emergency surgery for something that happened to his shoulder." Cartoonz looked at Mark again.

Mark still didn't say anything, though.

"What I'm basically asking is. . . was he thrown on a hook at all?" Cartoonz felt a shiver travel through his body at the thought.

Mark sighed heavily and looked forward. "Yeah, he was," he answered finally.

Cartoonz felt his chest hurt at the thought of how much pain that Delirious must have gone through. He wanted nothing more than to find him, now. Even if he was okay now, he was still horribly injured, and Cartoonz just wanted to be sure that his best friend was managing himself well.

"At least he'd survived getting hooked?" Cartoonz said hopefully.

"Barely," Mark said. "But yeah, he's alive as far as I know."

Cartoonz froze suddenly and had his eye peeled for any sign of movement. Mark looked back and saw that he'd stopped, so he paused to wait. A sound reached Cartoonz, and he recognized it as The Trapper laying down a trap somewhere.

"He's near us," he whispered harshly towards Mark, who looked around in confusion.

"Who is?" Mark asked, puzzled.

"The killer," Cartoonz explained.

Mark gulped and looked at the surrounding area. Then Cartoonz spotted The Trapper and saw that it was moving towards them. Rather slowly in fact, and it puzzled him for a moment.

"Let's not stand around, please," Mark pleaded.

Cartoonz nodded quickly and the two of them took off running. They lost The Trapper easily, and when they came to a stop, Mark and Cartoonz were slightly confused.

"Is it just me, or did the killer seem. . . slow?" Mark voiced his wonder.

"Yeah," Cartoonz agreed. "But it almost looked as though he was actually limping," he looked at Mark, who had confusion written all over his face, but his eyes showed fear.

"So, you're saying that it was hurt?" Mark checked. Cartoonz nodded, looking back in the direction of The Trapper. "I wonder who did that?" Mark said.

Cartoonz was scanning the area, and he caught a flicker of light. It was the same light that they had been heading towards in the first place, and he pointed it out to Mark. It was definitely closer, and when Cartoonz and Mark reached it, they found that it was one of the firelit barrels.

"Well, at least we found one thing," Mark pointed out, looking up at the hook a few feet away.

"We don't have a toolbox, though, so how are we supposed to take it down?" Cartoonz asked.

"We don't need a toolbox," Mark said. Cartoonz blinked. "Not this time, at least. We can just take them down by removing the bindings holding it into the stand." Mark explained as he climbed onto a rock just behind the hook.

Cartoonz watched in slight astonishment as Mark hoisted himself up onto the beam and slid across the top of it towards the hook. He started fumbling with something that appeared to be some kind of clip, and Cartoonz picked it up when Mark threw it to the ground.

"What on earth. . . ?" He mumbled, turning the clip over in his hands.

He looked back up at Mark and saw that he was undoing a wrapping. Cartoonz was totally bewildered at this point. Sure, he was trapped inside a videogame that he'd played many times before, but it wasn't even played the same way? What the hell was going on?!

Cartoonz let the clip in his hands fall back to the ground again and started looking around. Since he and Mark were obviously not the only ones here, he wanted to try catching at least a glimpse of someone else. What Cartoonz saw, though, was something he didn't remember ever seeing on any of the maps for the MacMillian Estate.

It looked like a shed, and though it was clearly falling apart, Cartoonz could tell that there was something different about it. He heard the thud of Mark jumping off the hook's stand, and looked back at him.

"Hey, uh, Mark?" Cartoonz waited for Mark to stand next to him. "Is that something that should be here?" he asked worriedly. He wasn't sure why he felt so afraid at the moment.

Mark followed Cartoonz's gaze and when he spotted the shed, he looked just as confused. "No, I don't thinks so," he said. "But then that means it might be the safe point!"

Cartoonz was startled by the sudden look of excitement on Mark's face.

"Safe point?" he repeated in bewilderment. There were no safe points in _Dead By Daylight_. The more Cartoonz was here, the more confused he seemed to be getting. "What do you mean by 'safe point'?!" he demanded in a harsh whisper.

"It could be something else, though," Mark pointed out. "But we'll never know unless we check it out."

Cartoonz gulped as Mark started slowly approaching the shed and gradually followed after him.

While Mark and Cartoonz were moving towards the shed, Delirious was just waking up inside of it. His face felt all hot and sweaty from having worn his mask the entire time he was asleep, and his left arm felt really heavy. Delirious slipped his mask off and wiped his sleeve over his face and the inside of his mask before he put it back on again. He stood up slowly, using the wall for support, and then headed towards the closed door.

Jack and Avery were still asleep, and he still had no idea what had happened with or to Mark, so Delirious was on his own for the time being. At least until one of the other two woke up.

"Quick!" Mark gasped suddenly, grabbing Cartoonz and pulling him behind a toppled tree.

"What?" Cartoonz glared at him, wondering what he was suddenly freaked out about.

Cartoonz looked towards the shed and saw that a door on the smaller side had opened. He froze. His eye widened at the sight of a blue hoodie, and he felt tears welling up inside it when he saw the mask that was ever so familiar. Mark was beginning to relax, now that he knew it was just Delirious and was relieved that the shed was the hideout after all.

He was startled when Cartoonz suddenly leaped over the thick log and shouted "JONATHAN!" as he ran towards Delirious.

Mark suddenly realized that Jonathan was his real name. That should have been obvious when Cartoonz had said it the first time.

Delirious nearly jumped at the sound of his real name, and he was shocked when he saw who had yelled it. Before he could react, though, Cartoonz had already pulled him into a tight hug.

"Ouch," Delirious choked.

Cartoonz put him down quickly. "Sorry, man. I just. . . I'm just glad to see you awake!" he cried.

Delirious was puzzled. "Awake? What are you-" he suddenly remembered what had been in the Journal. "Oh. . . yeah." he looked gloomily at the ground, and then shook his head and looked back at Cartoonz. "How the fuck are you here?!"

"I don't know, but I do want to know what happened to you!" Cartoonz was practically speaking between breaths he was crying so much.

Mark had watched from behind the log up until now, and was just approaching Cartoonz and Delirious.

"Mark!" Delirious gasped excitedly at the sight of his missing friend. "Where were you?!"

"I'll explain everything, but are Jack and Avery inside?" Mark asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Delirious felt the joy coursing through him. It had almost seemed like Jack and Avery knew something about Mark that he didn't, so they would likely be really surprised to see him.

Delirious was about to head inside again when Cartoonz stopped him. He looked back and finally saw the sadness in his eyes. . . er. . . eye.

"Luke?" Delirious was suddenly worried.

"I was so scared for you, Del," Cartoonz said, almost breathlessly. "Just. . . what happened after that call ended?" he asked, pulling Delirious closer to him.

"I. . ." Delirious looked at Mark, who was just watching with wonder. "I don't know," Delirious said finally. "I fell asleep shortly after, and then woke up inside this game."

Cartoonz moved his gaze from Delirious' mask to his empty sleeve. Another tear fell from his eye.

Delirious quickly realized what he was looking at. "Oh, I'm fine, Luke. Honestly," he said.

Cartoonz looked back into his best friend's eyes. He suddenly pulled him into another hug, though he was careful to be gentle around his obviously injured shoulder. "I'm just glad that you're alive." He let a shaky breath escape him.

Delirious suddenly felt like crying himself. This was Luke crying on his shoulder right now. Even though it was technically a different body, it was still the same guy he'd known for seventeen years. His best friend. Delirious let his head rest on Cartoonz's shoulder, nearly forgetting about Mark, who was now just standing awkwardly off to the side.

"Uh, should I go somewhere?" Mark asked suddenly, feeling really awkward as he watched the scene play out in front of him.

"Oh, right, sorry," Delirious stepped back from Cartoonz, who willingly let him go. "Come on. I'm sure that Avery and Jack will be thrilled to see you."

 _I'm sure they will be_ , Mark thought as Delirious led them inside the shed.

Jack opened his eyes when he felt someone prodding him in the back. He rolled over to see Delirious looking down at him.

"Wah?" Jack mumbled sleepily.

"Hey, Jack. You won't believe who showed up just now!" Delirious said excitedly and went over to wake Avery.

Jack sat up and rubbed his eyes. It took a moment for them focus and when they did, they widened. Immediately Jack was on his feet and had his arms wrapped tightly around Mark, tears streaming rapidly from his eyes.

"Yer okay!" Jack choked.

"Yeah, I am," Mark whispered softly, wrapping his own arms around Jack.

Jack stepped away. "But. . . how?!" he couldn't believe that Mark was alive at all, and especially after what happened.

Avery was now awake, and she gasped at the sight of Mark. "Mark! You're alive!" she cried joyfully.

Delirious suddenly understood. Jack and Avery weren't saying anything about Mark because they had thought that he was _dead_. Why hadn't they bothered to tell _him_ that, though? Delirious went to stand next to Cartoonz, who had been watching from the corner.

"I'm confused," Cartoonz said.

"We all are," Delirious put in.

Avery finally took notice of the two of them and her happy expression turned into shock. "What are you doing here?" she asked blankly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Should I be somewhere else?" Cartoonz said.

"No, no, I didn't mean it that way!" Avery explained quickly. "I mean, how are you here?"

Cartoonz shrugged. "It would seem that no one has the answer to that question." He said. "Although I'm hoping that someone can explain to me what the fuck is going on?"

"Well, what do you understand so far?" Avery asked.

"So far? That we're all trapped inside this game and that we have to beat it to get out, since that would only be logical," Cartoonz huffed.

"Okay, well, there isn't much else to say, except that we have to fix a total of nine generators for this map, and it looks like we've already gotten three of them repaired," Avery said.

"Wait, nine?" Cartoonz's brow furrowed in confusion. "Isn't it only four or five, though?"

"It's been different from the start," Delirious explained. "On Autohaven Wrecker's it was ten, Coldwind Farm was eight, and now it's nine. We don't actually know why the number changes each time, but we know that we aren't playing by the proper rules of the game."

"They've been changed just for us," Jack said. "Or at least that's what we're going with." he added quietly.

Cartoonz thought about all of the information he'd just received. "So, basically, the number of generators is different each time, and we have to repair them all in order to escape, and then the hooks can just be torn down without a toolbox or whatever, and you guys have already faced the other two maps?" he looked between Mark, Jack, Delirious, and Avery.

"That about sums it up," Mark confirmed.

"Shit," Cartoonz muttered, scratching his head and pacing a few steps. "What about in the real world? Can someone explain that?" he looked back at the other four.

"I'm. . . sure you already know," Delirious said gloomily.

"So, what? I'm in a coma now?" Cartoonz was starting to feel less confused, but more angry at his situation.

"We all are," Avery explained.

Cartoonz sighed heavily. "Okay, I think I've got the gist of what's going on and what we have to do, but what were you guys saying about Mark over here being dead?" he asked, pointing at Mark.

Jack, Avery, and Delirious all looked at Mark as well.

"How did you escape, anyway, Mark?" Jack asked.

Mark sat himself on the floor and Jack was quick to sit a few feet in front of him with Avery. Delirious stayed in the corner by Cartoonz. He didn't know what it was, but he just didn't want to leave his side. It would seem that Cartoonz didn't want Delirious to move away from him either, though. They moved a little closer so that they could hear Mark's tale.

 _~ Flashback (Mark's POV)~_

 _Jack and I ran for the barrier that would separate us from Coldwind Farm and send us both onward to the next map, and I really thought that we were finally free from The Hillbilly. If only I could have been right. I felt it grab me by the back of my shirt and pull me backward._

 _Jack tried to leap forward and save me, but The Hillbilly shoved him hard backwards and past the barrier. I watched as Jack dissolved and then I was thrown over the monster's shoulder. Jack was safe, yes, but I wasn't. He'd been my only hope of escape after being grabbed, but now I was alone._

 _And having The Hillbilly as my only companion wasn't a thrilling thought._

 _I struggled against the killer's hold on me as it carried me further and further away from the open gate, towards the Silo. The outside disappeared around me and was replaced with creaking, wood paneled walls and stairs. It grew instantly hotter, and I could feel sweat beading up on my forehead._

 _I tried once more to escape The Hillbilly's grip, and just as it was about to hoist me onto the hook, I slipped out of its gross hands and bolted. I ran straight up the stairs and out of the Silo, but when I tried to find the gate again, I couldn't locate it once more._

 _The chainsaw whirred behind me and I started running again without a second thought. I had to get back to the others. I had to get back to Jack. To tell him how I felt and for how long._

 _I wanted to get the chance to tell Jack that I loved him._

 _As I ran, I passed the shed ruins where Delirious had been hooked, and then I came upon the cornfield. I knew that the hatch was around here somewhere, but The Hillbilly was far too close for me to use it as my escape route. So I just kept running._

 _Through the Rotten Fields, away from the Slaughterhouse, and I eventually found myself at The Thompson House. I remembered Avery saying something about a basement being here, but how was that possible if it was at the Silo? I looked around, freezing in place to listen. The only sound I heard was of the soft wind blowing through the tall grasses that grew around me._

 _Cautiously, I headed inside The Thompson House and found the stairs to the basement. I actually thought of going down there to investigate the weird mystery, but the thought of Jack and the others pushed me away from The Thompson House and in search of the second gate._

 _A huge sigh of relief left me when I found it and I was quickly holding the lever down to open the doors. They opened with a loud scraping noise that I was sure would bring The Hillbilly running, so I dashed right through them and beyond the barrier._

 _When I opened my eyes again, I was in a dark forest. It was cold, and there was fog everywhere, and I knew that the killer this time was The Trapper. It was obvious because there was a bear trap near me. It wasn't open, but it was still a bear trap. Standing up and looking around, I spotted some sort of building in the distance, and I wasn't sure, but it looked like there was someone by it._

 _I was about to head towards them when The Trapper appeared out of nowhere, scaring the absolute shit out of me. It shoved me to the ground and a scream tore through my throat. At least that person by that distant building would have heard me, right? Hopefully that had been someone._

 _God, I hated all this spoopy stuff!_

 _The Trapper picked me up and started carrying me towards the building I'd seen, and if it wasn't for the trap that had been lying on the ground open, I probably would have been killed this time._

 _The moment The Trapper dropped me to set itself free from its own trap, I flew to my feet and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I ran inside the building, which appeared to be some kind of mine entrance, and I hid inside a corner right next to a window, for in case I needed to escape._

 _I wasn't feeling like taking the risk of hiding inside the closet just a few feet away. Especially since I knew that was how Delirious had ended up. . . No, I can't let myself think about that now. Not when there was a chance it could happen to me next._

 _Time passed slowly, and once I felt sure that The Trapper was gone, I left my hiding spot and went through the window. I honestly couldn't believe my luck at having found a generator, but I started to repair it as soon as I was near enough._

 _It wasn't long before I heard someone coming, but I thought nothing of it. Mostly because their footsteps were light, much lighter than The Trapper's hard, thudding stomps._

 _"Uh, hello?" a voice I didn't recognize spoke._

 _I jumped and looked over the generator and saw someone that I had never seen before. He was wearing a light brownish-gray leather jacket over a white T-Shirt, and a pair of faded blue jeans. Strangely, his skin was a light red color, and he was missing his right eye, except it was replaced with "X" shaped scar._

 _"Who are you?" I asked, feeling greatly confused at this new man's appearance._

 _"Uh, I-I'm. . ." he seemed unsure of how to introduce himself. "Cartoonz?"_

 _I suddenly remembered Delirious mentioning that name while Jack and I were staying with him in the hideout on Coldwind Farm. "Oh! You're Delirious' friend, then."_

 _"You. . . you know Delirious?" I couldn't help but hear a hint of wonder in Cartoonz's voice when he spoke._

 _"Yeah," I nodded. "Though I can't say we met under the best of circumstances," I held my hand out for a handshake. "Name's Mark," I said._

 _The sudden look of recognition that spread over Cartoonz's face was obvious. "Markiplier?" he asked, taking my hand and shaking it quickly._

 _I nodded._

 _~Flashback End (Normal POV)~_

"After that, Cartoonz and I finished the generator and had another run in with The Trapper before I took down a hook and we came here." Mark finished his story and looked nervously at Jack and Avery.

"Well, I'm just glad that you escaped, Mark," Jack said.

Mark hadn't said anything about his feelings towards the Irishman, so Jack still didn't know. Now it was just figuring out how to get him to that was suddenly Mark's real problem.

"Now, is there any way we can figure out how the heck it is that Cartoonz is here?" Avery looked towards the man still hiding in the corner with Delirious.

"I've got nothing," Mark said.

Avery was thinking hard while Delirious said the same. It actually wasn't true, though. He wasn't sure if it was what happened, but he had an idea of how Cartoonz had ended up here with them. Back on Coldwind Farm, he'd wished that he was there with him. It must have been Cartoonz wanting him to wake up in the real world or something that was combined or whatever and caused him to come into the game.

Wait, there was a missing piece there.

"Uh, L-" Delirious stopped himself for a moment. "Cartoonz, what happened before you woke up here?" he asked, looking worriedly at his best friend.

"What do you mean?" Cartoonz asked.

"While, from what I know, none of us were awake in the real world when we were brought here," Delirious explained.

Cartoonz looked at Mark, Jack, and Avery, who all nodded. Then he looked nervously back at Delirious.

"Uh," Cartoonz put his hand on the back of neck. How was he supposed to explain to Delirious that he'd nearly died? And that he could quite possibly do so? "Well, I. . . was in an accident," he said finally.

"Accident?" Delirious' voice had a sudden hint of worry.

"Yeah," Cartoonz sighed, knowing that he couldn't hide it now. "It was a car accident." He closed his eye for a moment before opening it again to see that Delirious' eyes had a look of horror.

"What?!" Delirious exclaimed, almost throwing Cartoonz against the wall when he grabbed his shoulder. "Holy shit! What happened?!" he demanded fearfully.

"It. . . I was just heading home from the hospital after seeing you," Cartoonz explained. "Or more like found out about your shoulder injury." he corrected.

Delirious' gaze betrayed him and he was looking at the floor. His arm fell away from Cartoonz's shoulder and he slid down the wall. He took his mask off, which startled Cartoonz just a bit, and pressed his hand against his forehead.

Across the room, Jack had stepped next to Mark and was quietly talking with him while Avery watched Delirious and Cartoonz.

Cartoonz was on the floor next to Delirious and had placed a comforting arm on his good shoulder. "Hey, I'm fine, okay?" he tried.

"No. No you're not," Delirious was trying to keep his voice calm. "What if you never get out of this?" he looked at Cartoonz with wet eyes.

Cartoonz blinked. "What? No, I'm not gonna die, Del. I'll make sure that you won't either, okay?" he picked up Delirious' mask.

Delirious wiped his sleeve over his eyes. "But-"

"No!" Cartoonz interrupted Delirious before he could really start saying anything else. "It's going to be okay, Del. We'll get out of this mess and everything will be fine, understand?" he undid the strap of the mask.

Delirious stared at him momentarily, before finally nodding.

"Hey, Avery," Avery turned to face Jack. He nodded towards Cartoonz and Delirious. "With H2O injured, having Cartoonz to help us out can't hurt." He said.

"No, it can't," Avery agreed. "The more, the merrier."


	26. Deliriously Damaged

_**And the romance begins.**_

* * *

Cartoonz pulled Delirious to his feet after having put his mask back on and they went outside the hideout after Mark, Jack, and Avery. The five of them were now leaving to look for some more generators and hooks, and hopefully some supplies as well. Cartoonz had already been worried by Delirious' shoulder injury, but when he noticed that he was limping slightly, his worry only increased.

"Hey, Del," Cartoonz put his hand on Delirious' shoulder to slow him down a little. "Why are you limping? Were you caught in a trap at some point?" he asked.

Delirious sighed. "Yeah, but I'm fine. It doesn't hurt anymore. Though it still stings a little sometimes." he said.

"Do you know how bad it is?" Cartoonz asked.

Delirious huffed in slight annoyance. "No, I never looked. Why are so concerned for me all of a sudden?" his words came out harsher than he'd meant, and he immediately bit his tongue at Cartoonz's light flinch.

Cartoonz looked away from Delirious for a moment, and when he looked back at him, he was staring at the ground as they walked. Neither of them said anything else after that, mainly because Cartoonz was called up front by Avery, who needed to ask him something. With Cartoonz up front with Avery, and Mark and Jack just behind them, Delirious was left behind in the back of the line.

And Delirious took full advantage of it.

He stopped and waited for the others to pull ahead of him quite a ways before taking off in another direction. He knew that Cartoonz was just worried about him, but it was getting on his nerves for some reason. Delirious wasn't even sure why he came with them on this expedition, since he wouldn't actually be able to do anything.

With his shoulder torn apart on the inside and his arm completely limp and useless, Delirious was nothing but a drag-around at this point. A waste of space. He couldn't even fix that first generator he'd found in the beginning, and with Cartoonz here now, that made four others. There were only four sides to a generator, so he would be left out anyways.

In truth, Delirious wanted to prove to _himself_ that he could still do something useful, otherwise it would seem pointless to save him. He tightened his grip on the hook in his hand and felt determination spread throughout his mind and body. Although it was a bit scary being on his own, now, Delirious wasn't going to let anything stand in his way.

He was able to disarm a few bear traps on his private travel by using the hook. Unlike with the first trap, Delirious used the curved end to press the trigger plate. That way, he could pull it out from the bottom of the trap and keep going. At some point, Delirious was actually starting to regret having wandered away from the others, but then he found a generator that was still untouched, and his regretful thoughts vanished.

* * *

When Avery called Cartoonz up, he ran straight ahead to catch up to her, leaving Delirious at the back.

"How are you handling everything so far?" Avery asked.

Cartoonz thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know. Okay, I guess," he said.

Avery nodded. "I just wanted to be sure, because, well. . . because all of this doesn't make any sense," she said.

"No kidding," Cartoonz muttered.

"I-" Avery began, but was interrupted by a sudden shout.

It came from Jack. "Hey, there's a hook over there!" he cried, pointing.

Avery and Cartoonz looked, and they too saw the menacing object.

Avery looked at Cartoonz and sighed. "Well, I guess we should go dismantle it."

She and Cartoonz quickly caught up with Mark and Jack, who had run ahead. Jack and Avery were the ones who got to work with taking it down, while Mark stood beneath the beam to catch the hook when it fell.

Cartoonz watched for a minute. "At least whatever is putting us through this decided to make things easy on us, huh, Del?" he said.

Silence.

Cartoonz looked around. "Del?" he continued looking around in confusion. "Delirious!?" he shouted, spinning in a circle now.

Mark and Jack looked over at him, and Avery paused in her task to do the same.

"Where the hell did he go?" Cartoonz looked at the others, who were just as puzzled. Then Cartoonz suddenly realized what must have happened. "Oh shit!" He started scanning the dark forest desperately.

Avery finished taking down the hook before she, Mark, and Jack came over to Cartoonz. "What's happened now?" she asked.

"Shit," Cartoonz growled. "I shouldn't have taken my eyes off of him!" he exclaimed. "Now Delirious has just up and disappeared!" he put his hands up to his forehead in panic and practically fell into a sitting position.

"Hey, hey! We'll find him!" Avery said quickly, placing her hand on Cartoonz's shoulder.

"But how soon?" Cartoonz looked up at her with extreme worry in his eye.

"The sooner we start lookin', the quicker we're likely ta find him," Jack pointed out.

"Yes," Avery pointed at him in agreement. "So let's start looking right now."

Cartoonz took a deep breath and stood up again. He followed Mark, Jack, and Avery as they searched through the trees. He was the one to keep his eye peeled the most, knowing that he would know Delirious when he saw him. They looked around for a while, before any hope of finding him began dwindling.

"We might have to split up," Avery said nervously. She didn't like the idea of separating, but then again, no one did. Not here at least. "We should find Delirious faster that way."

And so, Mark, Jack, Avery, and Cartoonz split up. While the others went in mostly opposite directions, Cartoonz started heading towards a bright light in the distance. It was much closer than he'd thought, and when he finally reached it, he discovered that it was a fully repaired generator.

Cartoonz kept going, heading straight ahead. He could see something far off, and began to recognize it as the mine entrance as he got closer. Deciding to search in there first, Cartoonz veered off his current path towards the mine, trying to ignore the eerie noises and feel of the forest around him.

When Cartoonz finally reached the mine entrance, he got the weirdest feeling ever; that he shouldn't go in. There was a chance that Delirious was inside, though, so why he felt like going inside just wasn't the thing to do, Cartoonz didn't know. His head was telling him to go in, but his gut was saying something different.

Despite himself, Cartoonz listened to his gut and turned away from the mine entrance and headed in the opposite direction. He suddenly recognized the area as where he'd gotten The Trapper all confused and turned around before. Now that he wasn't running for his life at the moment, though, Cartoonz was actually able to take a proper look around.

The trees parted around him, forming a small clearing, and other than the mine entrance, there was nothing else. Wait, there _was_ something else. Upon closer inspection, Cartoonz realized that it was a generator. He wanted to repair it, but Delirious was most important right now. Even so, Cartoonz found himself slowly moving towards the machine. There was nothing around it, and he was about to turn around to keep looking for Delirious when he noticed something.

It was a flicker of movement, and Cartoonz stopped. He looked towards the generator harder, and then realized that what he was seeing was a leg. Getting excited, Cartoonz got closer and paused just beside the generator.

Delirious was sitting against the generator with his legs brought up to his chest. His forehead was resting on his knees, and his right arm was over the back of his head. Cartoonz heard a sniffle and felt his heart breaking.

"Del?" Cartoonz whispered softly.

Delirious' head shot upwards and for a moment, he looked terrified. But then he calmed down again when he saw who it was. "Oh. . . Cartoonz," he sighed. "What do you want?" Delirious adjusted his position so that his legs were out a little, and lay his arm in his lap.

"I was looking for you," Cartoonz explained. "We all are. Do you have any idea how worried you've got us all?" he demanded.

Delirious sniffed, but he didn't answer. After a moment, he looked up at Cartoonz again. "What are you still doing here?" he asked, the question startling Cartoonz. "Shouldn't you go look for the others?"

"Yeah, I should," Cartoonz sat on the ground next to Delirious. "But I'm not going to go anywhere unless you're with me."

Delirious groaned.

"Del," Cartoonz started, and Delirious looked at him. "Why did you wander off in the first place?" he asked.

Delirious stared at him for a couple of seconds. "I don't know. . ." he said finally.

"I get the feeling that you do know," Cartoonz pressed.

"Why is this so important to you?!" Delirious demanded.

Cartoonz didn't flinch by his sudden outburst, though. "Because _you're_ important to me," he said.

Delirious went quiet, then he said, "I. . ." he tried to think of the words. "Ever since I got hurt, I haven't been able to do anything useful, and I really think that I'm just slowing everything and everyone down."

Cartoonz blinked, but he let Delirious continue. "It's just that. . . when I woke up here on MacMillian Estate, I found a generator and wasn't able to repair it because I've only got one arm." Delirious coughed lightly before adding, "An arm that I'll never use again. . ."

"Hey, that's not true," Cartoonz assured.

Delirious basically turned on him. "What do you mean it's not true?! I can't even feel anything from my shoulder down!" he exclaimed.

"Well, when I was told about what happened to your shoulder at the hospital, they said that you'll be able to use your arm again, just not fully without a lot of fucking therapy sessions." Cartoonz explained.

Delirious stared at him in slight shock. "Wait, you're serious?" he asked, feeling hopeful. Cartoonz nodded, and Delirious sighed with relief. "Of course, that all really depends on if I'll even get out of this alive." he pointed out gloomily.

"Well, for now you'll just have to do what you can-" Cartoonz began.

"Which is nothing," Delirious interrupted. "I can't use my arm, so I'm totally useless!" he choked. "It's like I'm not even worth saving at this point. . ." Delirious started sobbing behind his mask.

Cartoonz leaned closer to Delirious and lifted his mask up, revealing Jonathan's face beneath. He let the mask rest on the top of Delirious' head while he took his hand and brushed his fingers gently over Delirious' face, wiping away the tears. He hated seeing him like this, but he managed to remain calm and not break dramatically over the huge amount of sadness in Delirious' eyes.

"Don't ever say you're not worth saving, Del," Cartoonz said, putting his hands lightly on Delirious' shoulders.

Delirious looked at the ground. "But. . . what the hell am I supposed to do now, huh? I'm useless, Cartoonz." Delirious sobbed again.

"There are still plenty of other things you can help with, Delirious," Cartoonz said softly, wiping away some more of Delirious' tears. "You just have to figure them out, is all."

"Who am I kidding?" Delirious said suddenly. "I can't even fix a single stupid generator!" he pounded his fist on the machine behind him angrily.

"All you need is a little help, Del. Not everything is always possible alone, y'know." Cartoonz took Delirious' mask and used his jacket to dry the moist inside. "Tell me, what you have done with just the one arm?"

Delirious sniffed before saying, "That first generator I came across, I did what repairs I could," he turned his head to look at Luke.

"There you go, now you're thinking positive!" Luke said happily.

"Measly repairs," Delirious grumbled.

Cartoonz took advantage of the extra comment, though, by saying. "Well, those measly repairs have us all one step closer to escaping."

Delirious was quiet for a moment, and then to Cartoonz's surprise, he laughed. "You're just not going to give up are you?" he chuckled.

Cartoonz glanced to the side and then back at Delirious. "Give up on what?" he asked.

"On cheering me up," Delirious huffed. "You're just going to take everything I say and turn it into something positive until I fucking feel better about myself, aren't you?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Cartoonz said.

Now Delirious was really laughing, and Cartoonz couldn't help but smile. "That's just typical of you, Luke!" Delirious giggled.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Cartoonz rolled his eye. "Will you help me with this, Del?" he asked Delirious suddenly, gesturing at the generator behind them.

Delirious looked at the broken machine and then at Cartoonz. "Why should I?" he asked.

"I can't do it on my own, that's why," Cartoonz teased.

"You can't or you won't?" Delirious questioned.

"Both," Cartoonz stated.

Delirious chuckled again, but before he could get to his feet, Cartoonz had suddenly grabbed his face in his hands. He held him there for a moment or two, looking into his eyes.

"C-Cartoonz?" Delirious stammered, confused.

"Do you know how much you mean to me, Del?" Cartoonz asked.

"Uh," Delirious thought for a second. "A lot?" he guessed stupidly.

Then, Delirious' eyes widened with shock and his body stiffened when Cartoonz leaned forward a little more and their lips touched. Eventually, his eyes rolled upwards, his lids closing and his body relaxing as he fell into the kiss. Cartoonz was ever so gentle with him, and Delirious actually felt a little disappointed when they parted at last.

"You mean that much to me, Del," Cartoonz said. "I love you, and nothing will change that."

Delirious gazed at Cartoonz's face, feeling a new wave of emotion washing over him. He'd never felt it in this way before, but he knew that it was love. He'd always loved Luke, but never in this way. But now that seems to have changed.

"Why didn't I ever see it before?" Delirious mumbled.

"Huh?" Cartoonz was puzzled.

"I really can't believe that I never saw it in you before now," Delirious said.

"What are you talking about, Del?" Cartoonz asked, getting only more confused.

"I really wish that I had seen that what I needed was you, man," Delirious stated.

Now Cartoonz understood what Delirious was saying. This time it was Delirious who kissed him, and Cartoonz practically had to pull them apart just to breathe.

"We should really fix the generator," he said.

He laughed when Delirious' face turned bright red, which only made it go redder.

Delirious stood and moved to one of the generator's sides while Cartoonz took the other. In truth, he knew that Cartoonz would cheer him up. He always found a way to do so, no matter what was going on or what the case was.

It was one of the qualities that Luke had that Jonathan liked. He knew that he could always count on him when things went wrong. He could count on Cartoonz to help him through hard situations, and to comfort him when something had him greatly upset, like he just had. And now it would seem that he was even more important to him than ever before.

Hopefully Cartoonz would stay alive so that he could stay by his side, and Delirious never let a single thought of him getting killed enter his mind as they ran from the newly repaired generator.

Through his sister he had met Cartoonz, and after that they became friends. And then it turned into best friends, and then somehow Cartoonz ended up like a brother to Delirious. It seemed a little strange if you thought about it that way, but now Cartoonz was more than that. He was everything that Delirious had been looking for.

To think that what he needed in life had always been there.


	27. Not Always What You Say

_**So sorry that this chapter is a day late. I never got onto a computer yesterday so I wasn't able to post. I also didn't actually have school yesterday and I kind of forgot that it was Monday. But hey! Here's the chapter now!**_

* * *

Delirious and Cartoonz allowed themselves a break and chance to catch their breath. They hadn't stopped running ever since finishing that other generator, and were now quite a distance away from it. Cartoonz could see the same firelight by the hook nearest to the hideout, and he had the feeling he knew where to go from there.

Only, when he was about to head towards the shed, Delirious stopped him.

"They're over there," he said, pointing.

Cartoonz followed his gaze and saw Mark and Jack talking to each other just beneath one of the trees. He and Delirious ran over to them.

"Oh, ya found him!" Jack exclaimed, relieved.

"Yeah, I apologize for having took off in the first place, guys," Delirious said, lowering his head a little.

"Well, it was really a good thing he did," Cartoonz said. Mark and Jack stared at him in confusion. "I found him by a generator, and the two of us got it repaired." Cartoonz explained.

Cartoonz glanced over at Delirious, who he was sure had a slightly embarrassed expression written over his face hidden beneath the mask.

"Hey, you guys!" Mark, Jack, Delirious, and Cartoonz turned to see Avery running up to them.

"Hey, Avery," Cartoonz greeted.

"Great, we've all been reunited," Avery panted. "Can we not split up again, please?"

"Sorry about that," Delirious said.

"Oh, no. I'm not blaming you, Delirious," Avery explained quickly.

"Uh, you know it was your idea to split up in the first place, right Avery?" Mark pointed out.

Avery paused and thought for a moment. "Right. . ." she said slowly, stretching out the word.

"On the bright side, though," Mark said, getting Avery's attention again. "Delirious and Cartoonz got another generator."

Avery's face brightened. "Great! Let's see if we can get more."

Delirious laughed lightly. "Yeah, the sooner we're out of here, the better," he looked at Cartoonz slyly.

Cartoonz caught his gaze and knew that he was secretly referring to his pep talk back at the generator, and he gave Delirious a smug look. While Mark and Avery started heading off for the generator search, Jack was looking suspiciously at Delirious and Cartoonz. There was a weird air between them, and he couldn't help but get this feeling that there was something going on. Maybe it had always been like that, though? He wasn't sure how long they'd know each other, so the feeling was uncertain.

Shaking his head, Jack headed after Mark and Avery, with Delirious and Cartoonz close behind him. They caught up with Mark and Avery quickly, and it wasn't long before they came across one of the other repaired generators. It was the same one that Cartoonz had passed while he was looking for Delirious, and that Jack and Avery had fixed not long after meeting.

They walked past the generator and towards unexplored forest, Jack never taking his eyes off the back of Mark's head. He didn't want to lose sight of him again.

Ever.

"Jack, hold up," Cartoonz stopped Jack by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"What?" Jack looked quickly behind him.

"You might want to step around that," Cartoonz said, nodding towards the ground.

Jack looked down and saw a bear trap. Wide open and dangerously menacing.

"Holy. . . !" Jack gasped, realizing how close he'd been to stepping into it.

Mark and Avery had looked back and saw that there was a hold up, and were now coming back.

"What's going on back here?" Avery asked. "Oh," she said when she saw the bear trap.

"I've got this," Delirious said, stepping forward.

He took the hook by the straight end and pressed the curved edge on the trigger plate. The trap snapped shut around the metal rod, but Delirious was able to tip the trap over and pull out the hook through the bottom. When he was done, he saw that Mark, Jack, and Avery were all staring at him in silent astonishment. Cartoonz, however, looked pleased. Of course he did.

"What?" Delirious said, looking between the other four.

"How long have ya been able ta do that?" Jack asked, blinking.

"Not long. That's only the second trap I used it on," Delirious explained.

Cartoonz's eye narrowed.

"Well, it's a very good thing, to be honest. With Delirious able to disarm the traps by using the hook, we can be sure that none of us will end up stepping in one," Avery said.

"As long as we see it before that happens," Mark put in.

Cartoonz leaned over and whispered in Delirious' ear, "There's one thing that you can help with."

Delirious took a step away and glared at him accusingly. "What are you talking about?" he joked.

Cartoonz gave him a light shove. Again, Jack was getting a weird feeling about the two of them. He hadn't seen the two of them together for very long, since Cartoonz had basically only just joined them, but it was almost as though they were acting. . . friendlier than before towards each other.

Mark and Avery didn't seem to notice, though. If they had, then they just didn't really seem to care at the moment. Avery started leading them again, and Jack was suddenly doubting she was going at random, because it seemed more like she was following a specific path.

"Uh, Avery?" Jack sped up until he was walking beside her and Mark. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"What do you mean 'where are are we going'? We're looking for another generator," Avery said.

"I know that, but it just seems like we're going somewhere specific ta me," Jack stated.

Avery was quiet for a moment, and then she looked at Mark, who was looking at her curiously. Avery glanced back at Delirious and Cartoonz. Her expression turned to an extremely confused one, and then she looked forward once more with her eyebrows raised.

"Okay, I'm not going to question what it is those two are doing," she said.

Jack, now curious, glanced over his shoulder. Cartoonz had one of his arms around Delirious, and they were conversing about something that he couldn't hear. The weird feeling only got worse from there.

"Okay, anyways," Avery pulled something out of her pants pocket. It was a map. "I've been using this." she unfolded it.

It was small, but there were marks for the location of each generator. The Coal Tower and mine entrance were also drawn onto the old paper.

"How long have you had this?" Mark asked.

Avery shrugged. "It was on the wall behind the note telling us how many generators there are this time, so I figured that I would bring it along," she explained.

"Wait, which generators do we have repaired right now?" Jack asked, stopping.

Mark and Avery stopped, too.

"Well, I know that this one is done, because Jack and I got that one," Avery pointed to the one that they had passed not too long ago.

"Cartoonz and I got the one by the mine entrance," Mark pointed out.

"And I got this one over here," Jack said.

"Which one did they get?" Avery looked behind them at Cartoonz and Delirious, who were no longer walking after the three of them, but were now fighting over something (playfully).

"What the fook are you two idiots doing?!" Jack yelled at them.

Cartoonz and Delirious stopped suddenly and looked towards them. They must have just realized how much distance that Mark, Jack, and Avery had pulled ahead, because they quickly ran to catch up.

"What were you two fighting about?" Mark asked curiously.

"Fighting? We weren't fighting," Delirious said.

Jack raised an eyebrow, but he didn't ask anything about their strange behavior. Instead he asked, "Which generator did you two get?"

Cartoonz and Delirious walked around them to view the map themselves. Cartoonz looked closely at the x's.

"This one," he pointed at the second one nearest the mine entrance.

"Okay, and we're heading towards this one right now, and it's just ahead," Avery started walking again.

They reached the generator in no less than a minute, but that was due to Delirious being the first to spot it. Avery, even though she had the map, was unable to locate it even when it was practically in front of her face.

The generator was against a tree, so only three of the four sides were accessible, and Mark, Jack, and Cartoonz took care of repairing it. While they were doing that, Avery was talking quietly with Delirious.

"How is your shoulder feeling?" she asked.

"Numb," Delirious answered.

"What. . . what happened after you left us?" she asked.

"I was just looking for a generator that I could repair by myself, since I wasn't able to do that with the first one I found," Delirious explained. "To be honest, if Cartoonz hadn't shown up when he did, The Trapper probably would have found me first and I would likely be dead by now."

Avery looked at Delirious solemnly. "I know that you two are really close," she said.

"Yeah," Delirious nodded. "But. . . I guess I just didn't realize how close."

Avery huffed with light laughter. "I think I know what you mean," she said. Delirious looked at her, confusion in his eyes. Luckily, she had seen it, so she explained. "I saw you two getting all close back there. With him putting his arm around you?"

Delirious fell silent, and Avery had the feeling that he was blushing slightly beneath his mask. "Oh. . . right," he looked awkwardly away from Avery and at the others.

The light came on, so Avery and Delirious ran after Mark, Jack, and Cartoonz before The Trapper had the chance to see them. They stopped to rest at a hook, and shortly afterwards, Mark and Jack assisted Avery in dismantling it.

"Hey, Cartoonz, I'm gonna go look around for a box and some supplies," Delirious said.

Cartoonz hesitated with his answer. "Okay, but be careful," he said at last.

Delirious chuckled. "You know I will," he put his hand on Cartoonz's chest before turning to leave.

Cartoonz grabbed hold of his arm before he could take his hand off, though. "I mean it, Del," he said.

Delirious rolled his eyes at him. "Seriously, Cartoonz, I won't go too far. I'll even stay in your range of sight if that makes you happy." he grumbled.

Cartoonz let him go and Delirious wandered off into the nearby trees. He searched around for a bit, getting confused as to why no one was calling him back. Surely it didn't take that long to dismantle a single hook? Even when he'd done it back on the Autohaven Wrecker's map it hadn't taken more than a minute or two.

Delirious sighed and threw his head back, walking forward slowly. He brought it down again when he bumped into something. It was just what he'd been looking for; a box. How convenient was that? Opening the lid, Delirious started digging around in the discarded items, looking for whatever would prove useful.

What he found was the most usable item that the game could give; a first-aid kit. Delirious grabbed the small handle and stood to head back towards the others. Only, when he turned around, he had no idea where they were.

"Fucking hell," Delirious muttered.

Somehow he'd managed to lose sight of them. Or he'd gone too far. Or, for a much better case, he just couldn't see them from the angle he was standing at. He walked slowly back the way he came, scanning the surrounding area carefully.

"Delirious!" the familiar voice of Cartoonz called.

Immediately, Delirious turned towards it and ran in that direction.

"Where the hell did you go?" Cartoonz asked when he saw him.

"I don't know. One moment I knew that you guys were just a few yards behind me, and then suddenly I had no idea where any of you were," Delirious said.

"I could still see you, even from that distance," Cartoonz said. "I only called you back here because I could tell that you were confused."

Delirious rolled his eyes. "If you could still see me, then I would have spotted you myself, but whatever."

"I see you found some stuff," Avery came up to the two them with the hook in her hand.

It was then that Cartoonz actually took notice of the small red case in Delirious' hand. It was a good find, and would definitely come in handy. If he recalled correctly, Delirious still hadn't taken a look at that leg injury he'd gotten from a bear trap earlier. It could be vulnerable to infection by now, and just the thought of that got Cartoonz worried. He was about to say something about it, but didn't just from the quick look that Delirious gave him. Clearly he didn't want to hear it. Maybe not yet at least.

The group left the hook's stand behind them and followed Avery through the trees. Mark was the one watching Jack now, and he was constantly getting the the urge to just tell him already, but he forced his words back for the time being. It was still a bit too soon, and with Avery, Delirious, and Cartoonz around, it would be a little awkward.

As they walked, Mark caught sight of a small building not too far away, and to him, and it looked like the Killer's Shack.

"Hey, Mark, you okay?" Jack asked, making Mark jump a little. "Oh, sorry. Didn't realize that you were deep in thought or something like that." Jack teased.

"No, I wasn't," Mark said. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know, maybe because you seem a bit out of it lately?" he pointed out.

Mark sighed. "I don't know what it is. . . I guess just getting taken by The Hillbilly on Coldwind Farm just as we were escaping took it out of me a little, so I'm a little freaked out by things." he said.

Jack blinked at him. "Wow, I didn't expect ya ta go so deep into that," he said.

"I'm not lying," Mark huffed.

Jack raised his hands defensively. "I didn't say you were."

Mark was quiet for a while, and Jack only glanced at him every now and then worriedly. Eventually, the Coal Tower came into a clear view and for a moment, Jack didn't know what they were supposed to do there.

"I hate this place," Delirious muttered behind them.

"The whole place or just the tower?" Jack asked him.

"This whole game," Delirious said.

"Don't we all?" Mark grumbled. He'd stopped watching where he was going and ran into Avery. "Why'd you stop suddenly?" he asked.

Avery was staring at the small, crinkled map in her hands. "There should be a generator here," she said, rolling the map up, flattening it, and then folding it up and slipping it into her pocket again.

"There usually is one inside the tower," Cartoonz agreed.

The group entered the tower and started looking around. It was as Delirious remembered from his panicked escape earlier, and why would it change suddenly? Mark was examining the strange, large, copper machine in the middle of the building, while Avery, Jack, and Delirious were exploring the tower, looking for the generator in question.

Cartoonz was keeping a lookout around the outside of the tower, taking a look inside every now and then.

"Hey, it's up here!" Jack called down.

Avery and Delirious joined him quickly, and Mark stopped trying to pull on a jammed lever. He ran up the stairs and joined the others in the small room with the generator. Avery and Jack were already working on it, but Delirious was hesitating. He finally decided to give it a try and kneeled over, sticking his hand into the mess of machinery.

Mark took his place on the last side and started working with the loose wires. They worked for some time, and then Delirious stepped away from the generator, having done what repairs he could manage and Avery finished them off.

"You've gotta be shitting with me," Jack muttered suddenly.

The sound of something fizzing reached Mark's, Avery's, and Delirious' ears and they took a step further away from the generator just before it blew.

"Ouch!" Jack exclaimed, grabbing his hand and sliding over the floor away from the generator.

"Jack!?" Mark was immediately at Jack's side. "What happened?" he asked worriedly.

"I think. . . I think it burned me," Jack answered, revealing his injured hand.

It was turned a red kind of color, and some of the skin was split so it was even bleeding. Delirious brought over the first-aid kit, which Avery was quick to grab and she started taking some things out. There was a window nearby, and Delirious climbed through it onto the balcony just outside. He looked around at the ground below.

Jack flinched when Avery started gently spreading a solution over his hand that would help with the burns, but was glad when the pain began to ease off.

"Why didn't you jump away when it started sparking?" Mark asked.

"I couldn't, my hand was stuck," Jack explained as Avery began wrapping some bandages over his hand. "It somehow got tangled into some wires and I couldn't get it out in time."

"Oh," Mark said.

"Hey, Cartoonz!" they heard Delirious shout from outside.

There was some yelling that sounded like mumbling to them, but Delirious' voice was quieter than it should have been from that floor, so that meant that he'd gone down a little.

"Yeah, we're fine! Just a generator mishap," Delirious called down to Cartoonz, who obviously must have heard the explosion and was wondering what had happened.

"There," Avery said, closing up the medkit. "That should do it for now."

Just then, Delirious came back in through the window. "Hey, Cartoonz just told me that he's seeing the killer around, and that we should hurry," he said.

"Right," Avery nodded.

They finished the generator before leaving to head back to the hideout, making sure that Cartoonz found them before taking off. Leaving him behind while he was scouting the building's outside wasn't something that was about to happen here.

"Hey, Del," Cartoonz looked at Delirious once the Coal Tower was out of sight.

"What?" Delirious glanced quickly at Cartoonz before looking ahead again.

"Think you're useless now?" Cartoonz asked, tease in his voice. "I mean, you've been a lot of help lately, y'know."

Delirious turned his head slowly to glare at Cartoonz. Mark and Jack looked back at them suspiciously. Just hearing Cartoonz say that Delirious had thought he was useless was concerning.

"No, I guess I don't," Delirious said.

Cartoonz put an arm over Delirious' shoulders, making sure to be gentle on his left one. "Okay, good. Because I don't ever want to hear you say that about yourself again," he said.

Delirious rolled his eyes. "Of course you don't, Cartoonz. What the hell else am I supposed to expect out of you?" he teased.

"I'm going to head inside. If you guys want to stay out here, that's fine," Avery said before she went inside the shed.

Mark, Jack, Delirious, and Cartoonz decided to stay outdoors and took a spot against the shed's wall. They sat there for a while, just listening to the soft breeze that blew around them.

"This is all crazy," Cartoonz said suddenly.

"Everything's crazy with you, Cartoonz," Delirious teased Cartoonz by waving his hand in his face.

"Shut up, man," Cartoonz swatted his hand away. "Anyways, it's you that takes all the crazy. Why else would you be called delirious?"

Jack watched them for a moment, then he turned to Mark. "Are you getting the feeling that there's something going on between the two of `em?" he asked, whispering so that only Mark could hear him.

Mark shrugged. "Depends on what you mean," he said.

Jack rolled his eyes. "I mean like. . . romance? I don't know how to explain it, I'm just getting that weird feeling."

"You mean 'bromance'?" Mark corrected.

"Ha ha, hilarious, Mark," Jack said sarcastically.

"Hey, what do you guys think Avery's doing?" Cartoonz asked after a moment.

"Who knows? Only she does," Jack said.

"Probably coming up with a game plan or something like that. So we can get out of here faster," Mark suggested.

"I like that idea," Delirious put in. "It'll be a great relief to finally get the hell out of here." He added.

"Can't argue there," Jack agreed.

Mark was staring off distantly, and at first, Jack thought that he was just thinking about something back home. But then he looked nervously at him for a second before turning back to the forest.

"What?" Jack asked worriedly, glancing between Mark and the forest as well.

"Do you guys hear that?" Mark whispered.

Jack, Delirious, and Cartoonz fell silent and listened. What they heard was the light wind, and something else. Something else that sounded a lot like traps being laid out. The Trapper was nearby, and the smart thing to do would be to go inside the shed, but none of the four did that. Instead, they each stood up slowly, not taking their gazes off where the sound was coming from.

Sure, hearing The Trapper laying out a trap was normal, but was it normal if the sound of the metal traps being opened was constantly echoing through the trees?

"He must be up to something," Cartoonz guessed.

"Should we investigate?" Jack asked.

"If you want too," Mark said.

"Why would we need to check out what it is The Trapper is doing?" Delirious pointed out.

"So we know what ta watch out for," Jack explained.


	28. A Run-In With The Unpleasant

_**And the romance continues.**_

* * *

Mark, Jack, Delirious, and Cartoonz sneaked through the trees cautiously, keeping as quiet as possible so that they didn't alert The Trapper that they were nearby. They followed the constant sound of bear traps being opened, and it wasn't long before they located the killer. They crouched in the tall grass to watch it.

"Uh, guys," Mark said slowly, nervously pointing towards what looked to be a shining trail of metal.

"That bastard's setting up a whole bunch of em!" Jack exclaimed in a whisper.

"Looks like he's plotting or something," Cartoonz suggested.

"Must be 'or something', because the killers aren't actually people here," Delirious said.

Cartoonz looked at him. "Seriously?" he sounded exasperated.

Delirious breathed into his mask to show frustration. He didn't like the way that whatever had put them there was playing along. Cartoonz turned his attention back to The Trapper as it was now finishing up with another trap.

"Where is he getting them all from?" he wondered. "Surely they can't all just be lying around? He must have carried them over here or something."

"Who knows, but I think we should follow it," Mark said suddenly.

Cartoonz, Jack, and Delirious all looked at him like he was crazy. Mark glanced at them for a moment, back at the killer, and then back to them.

"What?" he asked, confused by their expressions.

"What kind of idea is that, Mark? Are ye crazy?!" Jack demanded.

"Follow the killer? Really?" Cartoonz couldn't believe what he was hearing. "The only reason I would follow any killer for is if they had someone over their shoulder."

"I still think we should follow it," Mark said again.

Delirious remained silent. He wasn't really sure what to say about the idea of following the very thing trying to end them. Now it would seem that Mark didn't really care what the others thought, because he stood up and started going after The Trapper, which was now leaving its line of bear traps behind and heading off to another part of the map.

"Mark! Get back over here!" Jack called after him in a harsh whisper.

Mark didn't listen, or he didn't hear him, because he jogged out of sight, and with no other choice but to follow at this point, Jack, Delirious, and Cartoonz went after him. They caught up with Mark and, though reluctantly, Jack didn't stop him. He figured that there was no changing his mind at this point.

Although all the maps were creepy, and this one was especially scary. It felt as though the trees were closing in on the group, like they were trying to consume them as they followed The Trapper through the forest. Jack wasn't letting down the bad feeling he was getting from this whole plan, and if he voiced it, Cartoonz would quickly agree. Mark was at the front, pushing forward determinedly and looking back every now and then to make sure no one was getting left behind.

Finally, Mark stopped walking and the group of four hid behind a few trees to watch what the killer was doing. They were now by the mine entrance, where Cartoonz had started his whole experience inside the game, and it looked like he was growing nervous just from being around it.

The Trapper had disappeared inside the mine, and Mark wanted to head inside, but even he knew how dumb that was.

"Oh crap," Delirious said suddenly. Everyone looked towards him. "I just realized that Avery doesn't know about the traps yet!" he pointed out fearfully.

Mark and Jack looked at each other.

"We'll go back and tell her about them," Jack said, glad to take any chance he could to get out of this whole "follow the murderer" mission.

"All right, well, then I guess that Del and I will keep an eye on the killer. Whatever he's up to," Cartoonz said as Delirious carefully moved closer to him so they were hiding behind the same tree.

Mark didn't really complain about Jack basically having volunteered him to go back to the hideout when he was the whole reason they weren't at it in the first place, but that was mainly because it would mean that they would have a moment alone. This could be his chance to tell Jack, and then maybe. . .

Mark shook his head, putting aside those thoughts of what might happen after a confession. What mattered right now was Avery, who still didn't know about the bear traps. She probably didn't even know that they had left. Mark suddenly realized how stupid this plan was, since they'd left Avery alone back at the hideout. That had been extremely careless. For if she found them gone, she wouldn't know what happened to them all!

Jack started leaving and Mark followed after him. He looked back once more at Delirious and Cartoonz, noticing that were using some sort of tactic to spy on the killer. When Mark turned around to keep going after Jack, he didn't notice the quick movement several yards away, and the faint red glow of its presence.

The Trapper had in fact gone through the mines to another entrance nearby only it could get through, and circled around. It had been lying out all those traps in hope that one of the survivors would come and investigate. Then it led them back here, isolating them from that safe house that it didn't understand.

This was its way of playing the game.

"Mark! Jack! It was a trick!" Delirious shouted suddenly, startling the two.

Then Jack and Mark and saw The Trapper and jumped back as it swung its machete at them. Thankfully, it missed, and they ran further out of range. The Trapper charged after them, quickly closing the distance between it and its targets.

"How do we lose it?!" Jack panted.

"Dodge and weave!" Delirious called after them. "Dodge and weave!"

Jack got the idea that Delirious was just trying to help, but it wouldn't help him, because The Trapper suddenly had him by the arm.

"Shit! Mark!" Jack cried.

Mark stopped and spun around, being quick to start running to Jack as The Trapper began dragging him away. He caught up, but The Trapper stopped and attacked him. Mark was stunned by a hard blow to the head with the closed fist of The Trapper's hand and he was knocked over to the ground.

Seeing the immediate problem, Delirious knew that he should do something. Even though Cartoonz had been helping him out with it, Delirious still felt that he wasn't doing enough to prove useful to the group. It took a second for Cartoonz to realize what was happening, but when he lunged at Delirious to grab him, he was already out of reach.

Delirious charged towards The Trapper, running at a surprising speed with his injuries. He circled around and jumped in front of the killer, grabbing its arm as he nearly fell over from the sudden stop. The Trapper, confused, let go of Jack and took a step backward.

Jack bolted, stopping beside Mark, who was just regaining his bearings.

"Jack. . . ? What happened?" Mark asked drearily.

"You were almost knocked out," Jack explained.

Mark suddenly remembered what had happened, and he shot straight up, almost slamming his face into Jack's head. "Wait. . . !" he looked back to where The Trapper was swinging angrily at Delirious, who was trying to get away himself now that Jack was safe and no longer in the killer's hold.

Jack stepped back as Mark stood up. Cartoonz was running towards Delirious, who was now having problems. The Trapper doubled back on its footing suddenly, catching Delirious by surprise. In that moment, he froze, and The Trapper backhanded him and Delirious fell over.

"Delirious!" Cartoonz cried as The Trapper bent over and picked up Delirious, throwing him over his shoulder

For a few seconds, Delirious hung there limply, and then he realized what had happened. Cartoonz was just behind The Trapper, he tried to grab Delirious, who had reached out with his arm, but the killer had figured as much and spun suddenly, swinging its machete at Cartoonz. It left a small scratch across his face, but he was otherwise unharmed.

The Trapper then turned around and continued heading for the Killer's Shack, taking a struggling Delirious with it. Cartoonz ran after them, knowing that letting Delirious go wasn't an option.

Jack started to follow, but Mark stopped him by grabbing his arm quickly.

"Mark, what are you doing?! We have ta help them!" Jack tried to shake Mark off.

"I'll go help Cartoonz and Delirious, you go back to the shed with Avery," Mark said, quite calmly.

"What?! No!" Jack exclaimed. "I'm not letting you go alone! Even with Cartoonz there!"

"I'm not doing this only because I want you to be safe, I'm doing it because Delirious saved your life! Don't let that go to waste," Mark explained, letting go of Jack's arm.

"Well, I can't just leave him! He's my friend-" Jack started.

"Delirious is my friend, too, Jack!" Mark pointed out. "But if you get killed or hurt while saving him now, then what was the point of getting you away from the killer? He did it so that you wouldn't be hurt or worse!" he explained frantically.

"I want to help, though!" Jack protested.

"I know you do, Jack," Mark said softly. "But I'm being serious right now. Avery most likely doesn't even know that we're gone. You have to go back to the hideout and tell her what's going on," he explained.

Jack sighed, unable to argue against that point. Mark looked into his eyes for several moments, patiently waiting for a response.

"I don't want to do it just for Delirious," Jack said after a second or two. "I want to make sure that you'll be okay, too."

Mark blinked.

"Mark. . . I lost ya once, and I can't lose you again. I thought that I would never see ya again after The Hillbilly got a hold of ya back on Coldwind Farm. I actually thought of letting The Trapper get me at one point so that I wouldn't have to live without you there," Jack said, giving up on hiding his feelings or waiting to say them out loud to Mark at last.

This was the moment. This was the time he was going to finally tell him the way he felt.

"Jack. . . ?" Mark could feel his heart beginning to race. What was Jack telling him?

"Mark, I've been wanting to tell ya for a while now, and I don't actually know what you'll say about it, but at this point I don't really care, as long as I tell you," Jack said. "I love you, Mark. Like, really _love_ you, and I have for several months now. I just never knew when to tell you or how. . ." Jack put a hand behind his head nervously.

Mark was silent with shock. He didn't know what to say to this at all. Jack had loved him for a while now, and he'd only felt the same way for a couple of hours, almost a day or so.

"Jack. . ." Mark began slowly.

"I know, it's stupid, I'm stupid, and this is really all for not," Jack growled at himself.

"Jack," Mark said again.

"You can hate me if want, now-" Jack was starting to feel a bit of regret for having confessed the way he felt.

"Jack!" Mark cut him off. Jack paused, looking at Mark nervously. "Will you shut up for a minute so I can kiss you?" Mark said.

Shock was written over Jack's face. "Wait. . . what?" he was extremely confused.

But that confusion left him when Mark pulled him closer and they had their first ever kiss together. Jack's heart exploded with emotion and he thought that nothing else could go wrong. But when he and Mark finally parted, he remembered where they were and that Delirious and Cartoonz were in trouble.

"It's really just another reason to protect you, Jack. I want to keep you safe for that reason, so please. . . go back," Mark said before leaving Jack standing in the middle of the forest, watching him run off.

"But. . ." Jack said quietly, knowing that Mark wouldn't hear his next words. "I know you'll protect me, so I feel safer around you, Mark."


	29. Rescue Gone Wrong

Mark ran through the trees, breathing hard as he struggled to catch up with Cartoonz and The Trapper. He knew that Jack hadn't wanted to be left behind, but Mark couldn't let him come along to help rescue Delirious because then there was a chance that his life being saved would go to waste. It was also because he loved him, and Jack apparently felt the same way, too.

Knowing that Jack had feelings for him made Mark only want to keep him safe much more, and he wasn't risking a fight with the very thing trying to kill them. Mark passed one of the working generators and the Killer's Shack came into view. He sped up and leaped right through a window like it was a hurdle on a track and didn't stop at the stairs. He skipped over a few at a time, leaping onto the small landing between the steps, and saw what was going on.

Thankfully, Delirious hadn't been thrown onto a hook again, and he was backed up into a corner. Cartoonz was in front of him, fending off The Trapper with a bent pipe he'd found outside the shack. The Trapper's machete and the pipe were clanging against each other, and Mark saw The Trapper try to push against Cartoonz to get at Delirious at one point.

Shaking his head regain his senses, Mark charged blindly forward with a yell and he attacked The Trapper. The killer spun around, swinging its machete at him, but Mark was quick to jump backward and dodged the deadly blow. He glanced quickly at Cartoonz as a signal for him to start getting Delirious out of the Killer's Shack, and Cartoonz understood it clearly.

He nodded to Delirious, who started sliding slowly over the wall while Cartoonz stayed in front of him, holding up the pipe for defense. Mark was working to keep The Trapper distracted so that Cartoonz and Delirious would have the chance to escape, but the killer wasn't letting anyone go.

It grabbed Mark and attempted to toss him onto a hook, but all that did was give Mark something to hold onto. He gripped the hook tightly in his hands and kicked upward with his legs, slamming his feet into The Trapper's masked face. The Trapper let a roar of fury rip from its throat as Mark jumped back to the floor. He spotted Cartoonz and Delirious across the room, very near the stairs, and knew that he just needed to keep The Trapper occupied for a bit longer.

The Trapper recovered and saw that two of its victims were escaping, and then made the charge. But Mark wasn't having it. He lunged forward and leaped up onto The Trapper's shoulders, confusing it. The Trapper spun around in circles, clawing at Mark's arms with its gloved hands until Mark jumped off at last. He'd seen Cartoonz and Delirious retreat from the basement, and was about to run out himself when The Trapper turned and grabbed him again.

At least Cartoonz had thought he might need to help Mark, because he came back into the basement with the pipe in his hands. He flung it at The Trapper's head, causing the killer to let go of Mark and stand still for a moment. Mark scrambled to his feet again and tried to go around the monster towards Cartoonz, but he was too slow.

The Trapper recovered again and reached for Mark just as Cartoonz retrieved his weapon. Quickly, he realized the danger that the both of them were in, and raised his pipe again to fight against The Trapper. With Delirious out of the Killer's Shack and on his way back to the safety of the hideout, Cartoonz didn't need to worry about protecting him.

But he did need to help Mark. The Trapper had thrown him into the corner that was farthest from the exit, and Cartoonz was practically all the way across the basement. But he was a fast runner, and was soon right behind the killer, slamming the pipe down on its back with all his might.

To his total bewilderment, the pipe broke in half, but at least it had grabbed The Trapper's attention. The killer turned slowly around to face Cartoonz, and he looked up at the ugly mask that covered its face. He gulped.

The Trapper grabbed Cartoonz by the collar of his leather jacket with one hand, and the other half of the pipe with its other hand. It tossed the broken pipe aside, and took a step forward, forgetting about Mark. Mark started scratching at The Trapper's machete arm, stopping it from reaching the pillar in the center of the basement with its four hooks, dangling menacingly from the beams.

The Trapper suddenly remembered that there were two survivors in the basement with it, and it spun around, throwing Cartoonz directly into Mark. The two men hit the wall with such a force that the air was knocked of them. Once recovered, they scrambled to get off each other to stand again, but before they could get up, The Trapper was standing just above them, with its machete poised to strike.

Cartoonz and Mark saw it was about to bring the spiked machete down on them, and they only braced themselves for a possibly fatal blow, but nothing came. Opening one eye, Mark widened them both at the sight of blood. It wasn't his or Cartoonz's blood, but The Trapper's.

A hook had been stabbed into The Trapper's side, and it was quickly removed. The Trapper spun around with a roar of anger and slashed its machete through the air. Cartoonz had opened his own eye now and he and Mark finally managed to get to their feet.

"Jack?!" Mark gasped once he caught sight of the green hair.

Jack had run into the basement after finding a hook near where Mark had left him standing. He'd taking it into his own responsibility to protect Mark, even though Mark was the one who had been trying to protect him.

"GO! Get out of here! I'll hold em off!" Jack shouted, waving his hand at Mark and Cartoonz.

Mark couldn't seem to grasp what was happening, and he was unable to move like he was trying to. Cartoonz had to grab him by the arm and half drag him up the stairs. It wasn't until Jack appeared at the top that Mark was able to control his body again. He got to his feet and dashed after Cartoonz with Jack just behind him. One glance over his shoulder said The Trapper was chasing after them.

They were running quite fast, and closing the distance between them and the hideout, but in the moment of panic, Mark forgot about the traps that had been set up around the shed.

"Mark, watch out!" Jack cried behind him.

Mark only had a moment to realize what happened next. Jack pushed ahead of him, shoving Mark aside. There was a loud snap of metal closing and Jack let out an earsplitting shriek of pain. Mark had rolled over the ground several yards, and was scrambling over the ground to get back to Jack. Cartoonz had stopped and was running towards Jack as well, but the worst part seemed to be that The Trapper was quickly catching up.

"Jack!" Mark gasped when he stopped beside his best friend.

The bear trap had closed hard around Jack's right leg, and there was a lot of blood already staining the ground. The trap was knocked over, and a horrible looking wound had marked Jack's leg. It was broken, and badly at that. Jack was moaning with pain as he tried not to scream again. The bear trap had not only snapped his leg on the inside, but now the bone was slightly visible. Even if Jack got out of this situation he wouldn't be able to walk at all afterwards. His leg was nearly severed, with the sharp teeth of the bear trap puncturing his skin nearly halfway through his entire leg.

Mark struggled with the clasps on the bear trap, desperately trying to pry the bloody metal open. Cartoonz had now reached them, but so had The Trapper. Jack was just barely able to move in time to push Mark out of the way as The Trapper brought its machete down on them.

"JACK!" Mark cried when Jack screamed again.

Blood was splattered over the grass and dirt when The Trapper's machete cut a deep wound into Jack's side. Cartoonz jumped at The Trapper, distracting it and giving Mark the time to try getting the bear trap open again. Mark was quickly at Jack's side once more, and he could feel his heart pounding with fear at Jack's heavily labored breath. It was also the sight of so much blood that was making Mark a little dizzy.

"YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE!" a voice shouted, making Mark jump.

Delirious leaped suddenly into view and jumped on top of The Trapper, tightly gripping the open handle of its machete. He let himself fall onto the ground, taking the machete out of The Trapper's hand with him. Startled, The Trapper tried to figure out who to attack barehanded; Delirious or Cartoonz?

The Trapper wasn't given the time it needed to make that choice, though, because Delirious got to his feet and stabbed the machete in his hand through the killer's front. The Trapper froze for a few moments before it shook awkwardly and then disintegrated into ashes. The machete landed on the ground with a _thunk_ , and Delirious took a step back.

Mark snapped himself out of his shocked trance and went back to prying open the bear trap. Jack's breathing was growing more labored, and that wasn't at all a good sign. Cartoonz came up and took one of the clasps and pressed down as hard as he could while Mark was doing the same to the other. Delirious took hold of the mouth of the bear trap and he started pulling on it.

Finally, after another agonizing minute, the trap came open, and Jack let out another gasp of pain. It was extremely difficult to transport Jack back to the hideout without causing him extra pain or to lose more blood, but they finally got him back to the shed where they found Avery still inside.

Avery had gone inside the shed and had been drawing out a game plan the whole time that the guys were outside, and she had no idea that they had gone anywhere until they burst through the door with a nearly unconscious Jack. Avery felt her eyes widen with horror at the sight of the terrible wounds that Jack had on his right leg and side, and she was immediately reaching for the first-aid kit.

Mark, Cartoonz, and Delirious lay Jack down carefully on the floor of the shed, and Avery was already at his side.

"What happened to you guys?!" Avery demanded, exasperated, as she threw open the medkit.

"We heard The Trapper laying traps out nearby and went to investigate," Mark began explaining. "But it attacked us and Delirious was taken. I told Jack to come back here while I went after Cartoonz to help rescue Delirious, but he must not have listened because he showed up at the basement!" Mark was just about crying.

"Well, we're really lucky that he didn't listen, because otherwise the two of us would probably be dead right now," Cartoonz pointed out.

"We were running back here," Mark continued through sobs. "And then Jack stopped me from stepping into a bear trap, but he was the one who was caught in it instead."

"Hey, Delirious," Cartoonz lightly tapped Delirious' shoulder. "We should go take care of the rest of those traps around the shed."

Delirious looked at Mark and Avery for a moment, and then at the half-dead Jack on the floor. He looked at Cartoonz again and gave a small nod, following him outside and closing the shed door behind him.

Avery was trying to stanch the bleeding on Jack's side wound, since it was currently the most important, but Jack weakly pushed her hand away.

"Jack?" Avery looked at Jack's pale face in confusion and fear.

"D-Don't. . ." Jack mumbled faintly. "Don't. . . bother. . ."

"Don't bother? What. . . what are you saying, Jack?!" Avery asked desperately. "You have to let me stop the bleeding or you'll lose too much blood! You've already lost a lot as it is!"

Jack weakly shook his head. "No. . . it's too late," he mumbled, his voice dry.

Mark sobbed again. "No! Don't you be saying that it's too late, Jack! Why are you giving up?!" He protested.

"M-Mark. . . I-" Jack started gasping for breath suddenly.

"Jack! You shouldn't talk, you need your strength!" Avery instructed.

Jack was wheezing from the effort of just keeping his eyes open, and Mark was a crying mess at this point.

"Jack, you can't die now. . ." Mark choked. "I. . . I need you, okay?"

Avery stared at Mark in slight surprise.

Jack looked weakly at Mark.

"You said you love me, and that you have for a while," Mark began. "Well, I love you too, okay? So I can't let you die, Jack. I need you to stay alive for that particular reason."

Avery stared at Mark, and then looked at Jack again. She tried to go back to putting pressure on his bleeding side, but once again Jack gently pushed her hand away. He slowly raised his arm up to Mark, who took his hand. Mark slipped his other arm underneath Jack's shoulders and lifted him up a little.

"Jack. . . please don't go," Mark begged quietly.

"Mark. . . I love you," Jack whispered faintly.

Mark kissed Jack again as Avery watched sadly. Jack could feel what strength he had left fading, and with it went the pain, but at least he would have had the best last moment he could ask for.

More tears slipped from Mark's eyes as Jack finally went limp and was gone. Outside the shed, Delirious and Cartoonz had finished with the traps, and had decided to just wait outside for any word. They didn't know what was happening, but judging by the look on Cartoonz's face, Delirious had the feeling that it wasn't good. Cartoonz had looked inside the shed for a second before closing the door again, and his face was sad.

It was the look on Cartoonz's face that told Delirious everything.

Jack was dead.


	30. One Left Behind

_**Okay, so, Part 4 is a really long one. I'm not kidding, it will take ALL of March to publish. It will follow the same publishing schedule as Part 3, which is every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and because it's so long, I will start publishing it THIS Wednesday, so there is no break in between Parts 3 and 4.**_

 _ **This chapter is heartbreaking yet adorable in some ways... What have I done?! :(**_

* * *

It was quiet for a while, and as they stood on either side of the hideout door, Delirious and Cartoonz were slowly growing anxious. Even though his saddened expression had basically said everything, Delirious still didn't know exactly what Cartoonz had seen inside the shed. All he could do was wait there with him for Mark or Avery or both to come outside.

All the running around and the crazy mayhem of earlier events added in with his constantly low amount of strength had left Delirious quite exhausted, and he was now sitting on the ground. At this point, it was pretty clear that Delirious was more concerned about the others instead of himself. He was willing to drop dead from exhaustion if it meant that they were safe. Cartoonz wanted to say something about it at this particular moment, but he kept quiet and waited.

The ongoing silence around them was beginning to get more uncomfortable than it already was when the door between Delirious and Cartoonz finally opened. Avery was the one who stepped out, and her forlorn expression said many things. Mark came out a moment later, his face not only stained with tear streaks and grief, but slight anger as well. The hot emotion he showed just slightly was a bit startling to Delirious at first, but he gradually understood what it was for.

Both Mark and Avery had blood on their hands, but they said nothing, and neither did Delirious or Cartoonz. Mark paused in the shed doorway for a few seconds before he reached in and grabbed the doorknob, pulling the door closed behind him. That one act had Delirious feeling doleful and it took a bit of effort not to cry. It was a bit strange, in his opinion, considering that he hadn't actually properly known Jack for all that long. But perhaps it wasn't just because of Jack's death that Delirious was upset.

Perhaps he was upset with himself for having put Cartoonz in danger.

Cartoonz pulled Delirious to his feet, and they followed after Mark and Avery, who had already set off to find the last three generators. Mark was noticeably quiet, but after losing someone you love so quickly through dramatically unexpected situations, who wouldn't be? It seemed quite obvious that Mark wasn't at all in the mood for the next upcoming events, especially leaving.

He wanted to escape this hell-hole, yes, but much less now that Jack wouldn't be going with them.

Cartoonz, Delirious, and Avery remained silent as they worked on a generator while Mark was keeping watch. Once the generator was completed, the group set off for the next one, taking a quick stop to take down a nearby hook. They weren't taking any chances, and that included the possibility that The Trapper could have already respawned and was out looking for them.

They walked for a long while, heading towards a faint light that slowly grew bright as they got closer. Having reached one of the other working generators, Avery was able to take a look at where they were. Once they continued walking, an already dismantled hook soon came into view. The four passed it, heading towards the generator behind it.

Mark helped out with repairing this generator, giving Delirious or Cartoonz the option of sitting out. Delirious obviously took that offer and waited nearby. The light came on and the group of four continued going. As it turned out, the last generator that was left to repair was the first one that Delirious had found and failed to completely repair, so it didn't take very long to get it fixed up.

Avery was looking over the map in her hands, and then she placed it inside the flames of a burning barrel next to her.

"It just showed where the generators were, not any gates," she said, shaking her head.

"There's one over here," Delirious stated confidently, heading away from the others.

They followed him until the trees thinned out plenty and a large metal door came into view. Cartoonz was first to rush forward and get his hands on the lever. He pulled it down and the sound of locks unhinging inside the door could suddenly be heard. Mark had stopped, and he watched the others for a couple of seconds before turning around and gazing off into the forest, specifically in the direction that the hideout was in.

"So, is this the end?" Delirious asked Avery. "Or is there more?"

Avery sighed, quite heavily. "No, I'm afraid that there is one more map that we'll have to face. Remember I said that there are four maps and killers we'll be going against?" Avery looked at Delirious, a little expectantly.

Delirious fell silent for a moment. "Nooo. . . ?" he said slowly, unsure.

Avery rolled her eyes, half annoyed, but a little amused by Delirious' forgetfulness. "Well, there's still one more map that we have to go against, and this time, I don't think it will be the same."

"How do you mean?" Delirious asked.

"Well, for one thing, she can teleport certain distances," Avery explained.

"The killer?" Delirious was puzzled for a moment. "Wait, are you talking about the new killer? I thought that map wasn't out yet?"

Avery shook her head. "It's not, but I was able to get some leaked info about the new stuff in the coming update."

"Oh," Delirious suddenly understood what Avery was saying.

He jumped slightly at the loud bang behind them from the door opening.

"Sorry, Del, didn't mean to scare ya. It was kinda out of my control," Cartoonz said.

"No, that's fine," Delirious laughed lightly as he walked over to Cartoonz.

Avery started to follow, but she stopped and turned around. Mark was still gazing silently out into the misty trees, with his back turned to the others. Slowly, Avery moved towards him and was eventually standing at his side.

"Hey," Avery said quietly. "How are you holding up?" she asked, a little nervous about Mark's answer.

Mark sighed and stayed silent for a few seconds. Avery thought that he wasn't going to answer and turned to head back towards Delirious and Cartoonz when she heard a soft mumble from Mark.

"What?" she asked, unsure of what he'd said.

Mark sighed again, shaking his head slightly. "I had noticed the way he would act," he began. Avery blinked, but was eager to listen. "I had noticed that Jack was just slightly sensitive around things dealing with Septiplier. The only thing was, I never really took any of the reactions seriously. Thought nothing of it." Mark brushed his fingers through his red hair once before he took off his glasses to clean them, as they were still stained with tears marks from earlier.

Avery glanced over her shoulder to see that Cartoonz and Delirious were talking quietly with each other, waiting for her and Mark to say that they were ready to go. She looked back at Mark, who put his glasses back on.

"Now I'm just wishing that I had noticed that one little thing in Jack earlier, that I had noticed the way he felt about me sooner." Mark looked at the ground.

Avery thought for a moment, and then said, "Well, maybe Jack was just hiding them really well." Mark looked slowly at her. Avery continued. "But if there's one thing I know about love, it's that it is always there, even when you don't think so. I know that you and Jack were really close, but I also know that even though he's gone, there are still plenty of other things back home that you care about. Other people. And they still care about you, Mark. They'll always be there to help you through a hard situation, whatever it may be, because there's always a solution to any problem. You just have to find it."

Mark blinked, momentarily stunned. He glanced into the trees and then looked at Avery again. "Wow, thanks, Avery. I guess that. . . I guess that I never actually thought about that kind of thing before," he said at last. "Thanks for that."

Avery gave Mark a friendly smile before turning to join Delirious and Cartoonz. They were no longer talking, but had been watching the two of them patiently.

"We finally ready to go?" Cartoonz asked when Mark stopped next to Avery.

"I don't see why not," Mark said.

Avery was first to head through the door and she disappeared past the barrier. Mark followed after, but Delirious paused before going through. He looked at the ground for a second, then behind him at Cartoonz.

"See you on the other side?" he asked.

"Let's hope so," Cartoonz replied. "You be safe until I find you, man. `Kay?"

"Okay," Delirious gave a small laugh. "You too, man." he said before finally going through the barrier.

Cartoonz gave a quick glance behind him before following. Being inside a game was a strange yet interesting experience. It may have even been much more exciting if the video game in particular hadn't been so dangerous.

Well, whatever happened on the next map, hopefully, he'd be able to prepare against it.


	31. A Change In The Rules

**Okay, so, here it is! Part 4 with the dramatic scenes, terrible depression and whatever else I may have incertitude into this part of the story.**

* * *

 **Part 4**

 **Mental Abuse**

 **Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday**

* * *

It was dark when Avery opened her eyes, but when they adjusted, she could see stone walls around her. She was inside the Asylum, and this was made obvious by the bloodied mattress on the floor nearby. Avery stood up and started slowly making her way around the cold hallways.

She was alone, but that was no surprise. Avery only knew so much about this particular map and its killer; most of those facts belonging to The Nurse. Just considering those facts made being alone on a map with a killer that could teleport wasn't a good thing. It never was a good thing.

Avery was already nervous, and she jumped slightly whenever something around her made a sound. She didn't run, and instead froze in place to listen. She couldn't be sure if the noise was coming from the inside the Asylum's walls, because they would echo off them and fill the stone corridors for a few seconds. She also couldn't be sure if they were from The Nurse or one of the others.

All of the noises around her made Avery anxious, especially since she couldn't find an exit from the building. If an exit wasn't a current option, Avery was instead looking for a box so she could have some sort of supply to start with, or a generator, which would be greatly helpful. What she wanted to find most, though, was obviously one of the others.

Jack's death had left them all torn up, but she knew that Mark would be the one who suffered the most from it. It actually wouldn't be much of a surprise to Avery if Mark was still broken by it, but then again, it was kind of her fault in the first place. Avery shook her head to clear it of the thought. She needed to find the others, and letting her own thoughts take control of her wasn't the best choice right now.

Avery kept walking nervously through the hallways, and was relieved when she finally found a staircase she could use to get down to the first floor safely. She'd passed a hole in the floor somewhere down the hall, but jumping that far down could send an alerting sound throughout the stone hallways. One of the others might think it was danger and run, or The Nurse would come and investigate and possibly catch her.

Avery shivered at the thought of getting hooked like Delirious had been, and then suddenly felt a horrible sensation of guilt and worry for him. Was he okay? Getting reunited with Cartoonz inside this game obviously must have been shocking for him, and now that the two of them were separated once more, it was probably a little scary.

Now, as Avery went down the steps, she caught a glimpse of a strange hallway in front of her. Curiously but cautiously, Avery made her way to it and peeked around the corner. It was a dead end, with a few mattresses lying abandoned on the floor. There really wasn't anything interesting to see, but then Avery saw the small paper on the wall. She approached it slowly and took it off the dirty stone wall.

 _Hello, players. It would appear that you have made it this far without dying, though I cannot say the same for one of you particular. You also seem to have gained a new player, so that leaves you still at four. Whomever may be reading this right now, you are about to learn something that may come as disturbing. This map has no safe point. There is no hideout this time, but there are only five generators. Playing against The Nurse will be no easy feat, though. Want to know more about this particular killer? Consult Avery for details, for she knows the backstories._

Avery blinked. No hideout? Only five generators? What had her creeped out the most was the fact that the note had information relating to what had happened on the previous map. Jack had died, and Cartoonz had come in. Although the note didn't say how he'd ended up in the game, Avery was suddenly getting an idea; perhaps Delirious had something to do with it.

The message that Avery still held in her hands had left her uneasy, and she was suddenly desperate to find Mark, Delirious, or Cartoonz. Finding all of them would be great, but she really just didn't want to be alone anymore. Not after discovering that there was no safe point on this map. It made sense, in a way. The Nurse could teleport, so she might end up inside the hideout by accident, and completely ruin the point of the place.

Avery shook away the thought and let the note fall to the floor. She turned around and started looking for an exit again. She wandered through the hallways for several minutes before she finally came across an exit. It was the front entrance of the entire building, but from both the inside and outside, it didn't look too grand anymore.

The overhang was missing and the pillars that had once held it up were crumbled. Past the entrance itself were a ton of trees, all of which were burnt up and some were even still lit with smoldered flames. Avery had no idea why, because she had no idea about anything on this map. She knew that it was called the Crotus Prenn Asylum, but that was about it.

Taking a deep breath in hopes to regain a bit of needed confidence, Avery marched on forward and looked around her, studying the surroundings and keeping an eye and ear out for one of the others. The map was really weird to Avery for a few reasons, one of them being the air. It smelled clean when it looked smoky from whatever fire had occurred here, and there were strange items scattered here and there between the trees.

Large crates of what looked to be gardening tools and supplies, and broken machinery items were scattered around as well. Too bad that none of them happened to be one of the five generators. That was one of the other things that had Avery a bit confused; why were there only five generators, the normal number one had to repair in _Dead By Daylight_ anyways, on this map when on all the others it was a higher number?

Avery was distracted by her thoughts that she didn't hear the faint screech nearby. When she came out of it, she spotted something up ahead. Getting excited, Avery ran the rest of the way to the hook and stopped just underneath it. Her hopeful grin dropped when she noticed something different about the hook. There was no clip or binding, but rather a metal webbing for the beam. Even from the ground Avery could see that the hook was melded into the beam.

There was no taking these hooks down.

No hideout. No information on the map. Very little known about The Nurse. Inability To take down the hooks. Avery had never felt more helpless in a situation before, and this one made her finicky.

Avery examined the pillar the beam was attached to, and found that it could be taken apart with some kind of tool. That was just great. Five generators, hooks you could only take down with a tool of some sort, and no safe point. Avery huffed at the horrible realization that they would be playing this map by following the original rules of _Dead By Daylight._

Although she was particularly good at the game, even Avery wasn't sure about winning. Not this time. Her thought changed to Mark, Delirious, and Cartoonz, and she was suddenly very worried about the three men. Mark and Delirious may have been playing along since the beginning, but they hadn't seen the note, and this map wasn't out yet, so they knew absolutely nothing about it. Just like Avery. To make things worse, Cartoonz had only joined in the previous round, so there was a chance that he was still adjusting to everything going on around him.

Avery thought that she suddenly screamed with panic, but then quickly realized that the shriek hadn't come from her; it came from The Nurse. Spinning around to locate her, Avery spotted the gray cloaked form and ran from the spot, sprinting through the tall, dead grass and weaving around burnt trees.

Something whooshed past her and stopped several yards ahead, causing Avery to halt. The Nurse materialized in front of her, nodding her head painfully before recovering from her teleportation and standing above Avery.

Avery was frozen with fear, her eyes wide with panic as the Nurse raised what looked like a bone-saw to cut down into her.


	32. The Gamer's Graveyard

Cartoonz thought that it had all been a dream, and that he was about to wake up in the hospital with major injuries. But when he opened his eyes, a dark, hazy forest canopy was above him. Well, at least he was with Delirious, right? Nope. When Cartoonz sat up and looked around him, he saw that he was completely alone. Sighing, Cartoonz let himself fall back onto the ground and lay there for a minute or two.

Being inside a videogame wasn't something one would think as possible, and even if Cartoonz tried to tell someone about it, they most likely wouldn't believe it, not unless he had proof. But how the hell was he supposed to get that? Proving that his experience was real wasn't what was important right now. Finding Delirious was, though, and Cartoonz flew to his feet at the thought of his new boyfriend. He was already injured, and thinking about Delirious getting into any kind of worse condition was enough to make Cartoonz break down.

Pushing the thoughts aside, Cartoonz looked around to get the layout of his current surroundings. It looked like he was in graveyard, since there were headstones placed in lines around him. Graveyard? He didn't remember any of the maps having a graveyard, so this must be that new one that's scheduled to come out some time in the next few months. Fantastic, a map he knew nothing about.

Cartoonz started walking among the headstones slowly, seeming interested in the names that were carved into each one. Many of them were quite random, but there was one or two that he recognized as one of the characters in the game like Dwight and Meg. All of the headstones had the reason each person was now dead, and some of them were a bit disturbing.

 _Jason Maybin_  
 _1843-1865_  
 _Strangled_

 _George Havinty_  
 _1857-1889_  
 _Suicide_

 _Maybella Venning_  
 _1834-1863_  
 _Unknown Cause of Death_

Cartoonz paused at the last one. _Unknown Cause of death?_ He thought. "This place is crazy." He muttered quietly.

Cartoonz turned away from the headstone and started looking for an exit from the graveyard. He finally spotted a gate and made his way towards it, but then something caught his eye and he stopped again. Looking slowly at it, Cartoonz blinked at what he saw. One of the headstones was marked not with writing, but with a drawing.

Cartoonz stepped a little closer and felt his breath catch in his throat. The image was of a green eye with a blue iris, and he didn't need to ask anyone to know what it was. It was Jack's symbol. Normally, they were the ones who played the game, but it seemed to be that this time it was the game playing them. Jack had been killed on the previous map, and now his symbol was here in the graveyard on the next map.

If the game was keeping track of everything that happened to them and adjusting each map to fit those previous events, than did that mean that the killers were the same way? If that was the case, then that meant The Trapper and now this killer knew what happened to Delirious, and that got Cartoonz worried.

Seeing Jack's symbol on a headstone here left Cartoonz a little freaked out, and he turned quickly to run from the graveyard. He forced the metal gate open and looked around the outside of the graveyard quickly. The graveyard was surrounded by a tall brick wall that was covered thickly in ivy, so he couldn't see much beyond it.

Cartoonz started to slowly wander around the outside of the wall, being cautious and too anxious to not stray too far away from the wall. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was getting the weirdest feeling that he shouldn't actually go anywhere.

Suddenly, Cartoonz caught a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye and he froze. Examining the area where he'd seen the slight motion, Cartoonz held his breath and tried to keep his hopes down. If he got them too high, he might get a huge wave of disappointment if it wasn't Delirious.

There was a strange sounding screech that sounded inhuman to him, and then Cartoonz saw where it came from. It was a bit distant, but he could just barely see something gray and cloaked, and then there was someone by it. One of the others, Cartoonz quickly realized, and he started running towards them.

He realized that it was Avery when she screamed in terror, and Cartoonz started sprinting. He jumped in front of Avery and practically shoved the. . . killer back. He grabbed Avery by the arm as The Nurse suddenly teleported away.

"Cartoonz!?" Avery gasped, recognizing him quickly.

"Come on!" Cartoonz said quickly as The Nurse reappeared.

Avery ran with him away from where The Nurse was currently standing. They stopped and hid behind a large tree. Cartoonz was panting a little from his sudden run-n-rescue, but the Avery covered his mouth with her hand.

"Shh," she said in a really low whisper that Cartoonz could barely hear. "She can hear our breathing. Keep as silent as possible." Avery explained.

She took her hand off of Cartoonz's mouth and he let out a soft, long breath. His breath evened out suddenly and he stood as still and as quiet as he could next to Avery. Avery slowly peeked around the tree to see The Nurse with her back to them. The Nurse flashed for a second, and then was gone the next. She'd teleported away in the opposite direction, meaning that for now, Avery and Cartoonz were safe.

Avery looked at Cartoonz and gave him a nod. "She's gone," she said, still in a low whisper. "Have you found anything?" she asked him a second later.

Cartoonz thought for a moment. _Should I tell her?_ He wondered. He looked at Avery and nodded. "Yeah, but you may not like what it is." he said.

Avery cocked her head slightly in confusion, but she followed Cartoonz back towards the graveyard. Cartoonz didn't know how Avery would react to seeing Jack's headstone, but he knew that it wouldn't help with their current situation. Then why was he taking her to it? Because he felt that maybe she should know what the game was doing with them. That it was playing them in all the wrong ways.

"What is this?" Avery asked when they reached the graveyard wall.

"It's a graveyard." Cartoonz answered.

"Graveyard?" Avery repeated, looking down the ivy covered brick wall. "That means it must be for whatever patients were here at Crotus Prenn."

Cartoonz didn't actually know what that was, but he would ask her after showing Avery the headstone. He pushed open the metal gate, which creaked loudly, threatening to break off it's hinges. Avery stepped inside the graveyard and Cartoonz started leading her through all of the different headstones. They were all the same; half ovals with the person's name, their date of birth and death. Most said how they died, while others had that part scratched out or had been left blank

"This place is giving me the creeps," Avery said. "I never liked the feel of graveyards to begin with, especially after the accident."

"Accident?" Cartoonz asked before he could stop himself, but Avery didn't seemed bothered by it.

"Yeah, my Aunt and my little brother died in an accident. After that, my dislike for graveyards only got worse," Avery explained.

Cartoonz felt a stab of uncertainty. "Well," he began. "Then you might not like what I've found." He stopped.

Avery was still looking around at the headstones in rows, and she ended up running into Cartoonz. "What do you mean by that?" she asked when she realized he'd stopped.

Cartoonz turned around and pointed towards the headstone. Avery's eyes followed and froze on the headstone. She blinked.

"T-That's. . . !" she was suddenly unable to speak.

"I recognized it the moment I saw it, and I knew that things were switched," Cartoonz said.

"Switched?" Avery repeated, very confused now.

"Yeah, switched. I'm guessing you, Mark, Jack, and Del all thought that it was you guys who were playing the game?" Cartoonz asked.

"Well, yeah, obviously," Avery said awkwardly. "Why?" she asked a second later.

"I actually think that it's the game that's playing us," Cartoonz pointed out.

Avery gasped. The headstone with Jack's symbol, the note she'd found that had said Jack hadn't made it and a "new player" was now with them. It all made sense suddenly! The game was testing them for certain things, a few of which she would still need time to figure out, and one of them being friendship or loyalty.

"Avery?" Cartoonz snapped Avery out of her thoughts.

"What?" Avery blinked a few times to figure out what was going on again.

"Are you okay?" Cartoonz asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little. . . shocked, is all," Avery said.

Cartoonz was silent for a minute. "Can I ask you something?" he said a moment later.

"Sure. What?" Avery looked at him.

"What exactly do you know about this place?" Cartoonz asked.

"It depends on what you mean, because I know practically nothing on this particular map," Avery said.

"Just anything you know at all," Cartoonz clarified.

"Oh," Avery looked at the ground for a moment before she sat down. Cartoonz got on the ground in front of her and crossed his legs. "Well, I do know a little bit about the Asylum, like how it was in a fire and no one did anything to put it out." she explained.

Cartoonz looked around them quickly before turning back to Avery.

"The Nurse was working at Crotus Prenn Asylum after her husband was killed during one of his shifts at a lumberjack company. She eventually went insane after working here for more than two decades and then went on a killing spree, taking out fifty patients." Avery explained. "I guess that she finally lost it and set fire to the building herself. I'm not sure about that part, but there's a chance it's true."

Cartoonz was silent.

"The worst part has nothing to do with Sally Smithson or the Asylum, but I found a note that said there's no safe point this time." Avery added worriedly.

"No safe point?" Cartoonz was suddenly alarmed.

Avery shook her head. "No hideout on this map, so nowhere is safe for us. But on the plus side, there's only five generators." she explained.

"Fewer to fix, quicker escape," Cartoonz said.

"Yup," Avery agreed. "But we should find Mark and Delirious so that no one gets left behind or whatever."

Cartoonz stood up and helped Avery to her feet. They started heading back towards the gate and cautiously looked around them at the smokey forest around them.

"Which way should we go?" Cartoonz asked.

"Any way, we'll find them eventually." Avery said.

They turned right and followed a faded path on the ground, stopping every now and then when they heard a distant screech from The Nurse. The other map had been creepy enough, but this one was so much worse and Cartoonz wasn't sure if he could handle it for very long.

The smokey air around them was starting to burn the inside of his throat, and Cartoonz started coughing. Avery looked back at him worriedly, as the air was irritating her as well. She looked around, and then up to see that some of the trees were still smoldering and realized that it must be the ash they were breathing in.

Avery spotted an area that didn't look too bad and jogged over to it with Cartoonz close behind her. The air was definitely clearer over here, and Cartoonz took a few deep breaths.

"What the hell is that?" Cartoonz asked suddenly.

Avery looked at him and saw he was looking towards something and followed his gaze. It was a light, but it didn't look like any normal light. It was flickering in an odd kind of way, and it was making Avery curious.

"It looks like fire to me," Cartoonz said.

Now that he had, Avery could see it that way too. The way the light flickered did look a lot like flames.

"What would a fire be doing still lit?" She half asked herself.

"Maybe we should check it out?" Cartoonz suggested nervously.

Avery wasn't sure, and she would have actually made the decision to turn around if she hadn't spotted two forms near the bright flames.

"Okay, let's go, then," She said.

Cartoonz seemed a little surprised, even though he was the one who had voiced the idea. He followed Avery towards the fading firelight, and when he saw the two figures, his eye widened. He felt a smile form on his face when he recognized the two figures and ran forward to meet them.

"Delirious!" Cartoonz cried, relieved at knowing that Delirious was alright.

Delirious turned at the cry and when he spotted Cartoonz, he ran to meet him halfway. The two were wrapped around each other in a tight hug in seconds, glad to just be reunited once more, even though it actually hadn't been that long since either of them woke up on the last map.

Avery was walking up to Delirious and Cartoonz, who had parted now and were talking quietly with each other. She felt a smirk form on her lips at the thought of something deeper going on between the two. Something deeper and much more than simple friendship.

Mark, who had been following after Delirious, was standing away from the others, watching quietly. His silence was going unnoticed, just as he was going unseen for the moment. Then Avery looked over at him and her grin faded. Her eyes caught on something red that was staining his skin.

Mark was bleeding.


	33. Delirious Plays With Fire

Delirious was quick to get up and look around the moment he opened his eyes. He wanted to get his bearings quickly so that he might find Cartoonz sooner than later. But when he looked around, he saw nothing familiar.

 _This must be that new map that's been announced,_ he guessed.

He was in a rather small clearing that must have once been a courtyard, with high metal fences surrounding the whole area. The metal was covered in overgrowth, and dead leaves dotted the ground. Delirious glimpsed a few splotches of dried blood here and there as well, and was immediately not liking the new map, even though it wasn't out yet.

Delirious slowly made his way towards a broken part of the fence that he could leave the courtyard through, and when he stepped out he was immediately greeted by a choking smell. The air had a smoky tinge to it, and it stung inside his nose. Delirious had to take his mask off and wipe his face to try and get rid of it.

Once he got his mask back on, Delirious took a few steps forward, but froze when he heard an unfamiliar noise nearby. It sounded like a horribly pained screech, and sent chills down Delirious' spine. Then he saw what had made the noise and his eyes widened. Delirious quickly ducked behind a dying hedge next to the fence.

The killer was dressed from head to toe in a dark gray blanket, with two black gloves that one of which held a bone saw. To add to that, it seemed to be floating an inch or two above the ground.

The Nurse turned away from where Delirious was hiding, and he took advantage of the moment and started to sneak away. He didn't get very far before running into a generator. Why was it that he always seemed to run into one soon after starting on a new map? Or was that just on the last map. . . ?

Shaking his head, Delirious stopped on the other side of the generator so that he could keep an eye on The Nurse while he made what repairs he could manage with one arm. It didn't help that he was shaking a little from the killer being so close by, but once Delirious found that there wasn't really anything else that he could do, he left the generator to go look for the others.

While he'd been working on the generator, The Nurse had disappeared, but it wasn't long before Delirious spotted her again. She seemed to be circling something, guarding it. He was interested as to what it was, but with The Nurse there, he couldn't approach it. Delirious looked around for something that he could cause a distraction with, and he found an empty bin discarded on the ground.

He took the bin and walked away from The Nurse. Stopping a couple yards away from where it had started, Delirious placed the bin upright on the ground again and started trying to break it apart. It was plastic, so it should make a loud snapping sound when it broke.

Finally, after a few minutes, the loud crack of the bin breaking startled Delirious that he was nearly a second too late to escape. He got away from the bin just as The Nurse teleported over to it. He didn't see it happen though, because he was still running towards the area she'd been patrolling.

What Delirious found was a hook. Slightly disappointed, Delirious looked it over and discovered it was different from the hooks on the previous three maps. There was no way to simply take the hook off the beam that held it up anymore, because it was melded onto it. What Delirious found strange about the new design, though, was the entire stand itself.

The hook and the beam were metal, but the pillar that held it up was built from wood. That must mean that the beam was hollow, because otherwise there wasn't much chance that the pillar could support it. But if it was made from wood. . . Was there another way to destroy the hooks? Was it still possible to take them down, only a different tactic must be used?

Delirious looked around him hurriedly, not sure whether or not The Nurse would return to this particular hook at any moment or at all. Hopefully, he was on his own for a while yet, and would have the time to figure out a way to get rid of the dangerous object. Maybe it was the fact that they had used the hooks as weapons to defend themselves on the MacMillian Estate that cause the design to change on this one.

Going with that theory, Delirious started exploring the area around the hook. He found a dirty bag and opened it. There were a few items, a few of which he was confused by, but others he was sure to make useful. There was a lighter, a couple of sticks, and some gasoline. The gas was in a small container that was filled almost to the top, and what actually looked like chopsticks (now that Delirious had a better look at them) had pieces of paper wrapped around one end.

Suddenly, Delirious had an idea. It was dangerous, very dangerous, but it was worth a try. He picked up the bag and went back to the hook where he started thoroughly examining the pillar. There was an opening conveniently placed in the back of it, and he set the bag down again. He took one of the sticks and dipped the paper covered end in the gas, then took the lighter and and set the end on the fire. Then dropped it through the gap.

Within seconds, a surprisingly short amount of time, the entire pillar was up in flames. Delirious closed the bag and ran away from the bright fire with it. He stopped a pretty safe distance away to watch what happened. A minute or two passed and then he heard a distant creaking. The pillar broke and the whole thing collapsed, making the hook unusable.

 _Well, that takes care of things,_ Delirious thought.

A sudden sense of enjoyment filled Delirious, and he was curious about it for a moment before he realized that what he'd just done. . . was _fun_. Oh dear, now he was going to end up playing with fire, the one thing that he'd always been terrified of doing when he was kid. That was because of what he'd done a long time ago with a few matches.

Shoving the thought aside, Delirious stood up again and started looking for another hook to burn down. The strange enjoyment he got from doing it to that first one was probably going to end up driving him over the edge of sanity, making him lose it completely. If he hadn't lost all his sanity already just from being inside a video game that is, and _Dead By Daylight_ no less.

Delirious wasn't sure, but he knew that he wasn't just looking some more hooks, but for the others as well. Especially Cartoonz. Delirious didn't know how long he was walking for, but his energy was suddenly fading and he stopped to take a break. Maybe he would come across the hideout soon and could take a nap then?

The thought of sleep only made Delirious more tired, and he shut his eyes for only a moment. Or at least he thought it was a moment. It felt like a lot of time had passed when he opened them again, but at the same time as if it had only been a few minutes. Suddenly alert, Delirious flew to his feet and looked around him nervously. The dead forest was silent, and nothing seemed to have changed about him.

Delirious started walking again until he spotted another hook in the distance. Getting excited, he made to go towards it, but then something made him stop. There was a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye, and Delirious caught a glimpse of red.

"H-Hello. . . ?" Delirious said quietly, not sure if he should be making any sounds. "Cartoonz? Or is that. . ." Delirious turned slowly, and then stopped when his eyes fell upon a figure. "Mark!"

Mark paused and looked fearfully at Delirious. If he recognized him, he didn't make any attempt to show it.

"Mark?" Delirious took a careful step towards him, but Mark backed away with several of his own. "Mark, are you okay?" Delirious asked worriedly, Mark's strange new behavior concerning him.

"D-Del-lirious?" Mark looked Delirious up and down carefully, trying to take in his form. "Delirious! Hey!" he moved towards him suddenly.

Delirious was rather puzzled by Mark's actions, and he stared at him, a little freaked out. "Are you okay, Mark?" he asked again.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be? I'm still alive, aren't I? So that should make me okay!" Mark was speaking really quickly, and it was startling Delirious quite a bit. ". . . Right?" Mark said a moment later, looking at Delirious with a confused expression.

"I- I don't know. It depends on w-what you mean?" Delirious said uncertainly.

"Hmm," Mark gazed off into the distance, spacing out in front of Delirious.

"Mark," Delirious snapped him back to reality. Mark looked at Delirious with an expression of sudden curiosity. "Have you seen either of the others?" Delirious asked.

Mark opened his mouth to answer, but instead shook his head. Delirious was willing to accept the answer if it meant he wouldn't have to hear Mark rambling crazily again.

"Come on, I'm not leaving you here by yourself," Delirious said, heading towards the hook again.

Mark followed him and stood aside to watch in a strange silence as Delirious sent the hook into flames. When it was torched, Delirious gave Mark the bag and signaled for him to follow and the red-haired man trotted after him. His rambling from earlier had freaked Delirious out a little, but now Mark's sudden quietness was concerning him. Was something wrong?  
. . . Something other than Jack's death?

"Delirious!" The sudden cry snapped Delirious from his thoughts and he looked over to see Cartoonz running towards him, Avery a little ways behind.

Delirious ran at Cartoonz and threw himself around him happily, letting out a sigh of relief at seeing Cartoonz unharmed. When Cartoonz let him go, Delirious looked into his eyes. . . er. . . eye.

"I'm glad you're okay, man," he said.

"You too," Cartoonz replied. "What did you do back there?" he asked, looking towards the firelight.

"Oh, I set fire to one of the hooks," Delirious answered.

"What? But Avery said that we can't destroy the hooks this time," Cartoonz said, puzzled.

"Did she now?" Delirious raised an eyebrow underneath his mask. "Well, I discovered that myself, thank you. But I also discovered that there is a new way to take `em out." He would have crossed his arms at that moment, but that's kind of hard to do when you can only move one of them. So instead Delirious slipped his hand into his sweater pocket.

"Mark, are you bleeding?" Avery's voice dragged Delirious' and Cartoonz's attention towards Mark.

His arm was red, and Delirious didn't know how he hadn't noticed it before. But it was most definitely blood. It didn't look like an injury that he'd received from anything, but more like a cut that had carefully been carved into the skin.

"J"


	34. Mark's Mind Mishap

Mark felt like he was dying on the inside. Even before he opened his eyes to see whatever the unlaunched map had in store for him, he thought that it might as well be the end. Jack was dead, and not long after they'd both finally told each other the way they felt, too. That only made things worse. Now they could never start something together after escaping the game.

When Mark did open his eyes and sat up to look around, he found himself in a small clearing lined with dead bushes and blackened trees. He stood up quickly and looked carefully at the area around him. He could just make out what must have been a hook in the direction of another large structure. The air was really dirty, with a smoky smell to it, so the distant structure, though very large as it appeared to look from Mark's current perspective of it, was pretty blocked out.

Mark turned and went in the opposite direction, stopping only when he came across a box. He looked around once more, cautious when bending over to open the chest in front of him. He dug through all the contents and found a flashlight, which he stuffed into one of the pockets of his shorts before going through what was left in the chest. Mark was a little confused as to why he found a pocket knife buried in the discarded junk, but he took advantage of the small item.

Leaving the box's lid open, Mark moved over to the nearest tree and settled himself on the ground. He flipped the knife open and started carving into the bark. He worked for a while, inputting his message that Jack would never read. Mark's eyes began to sting a little with tears that were threatening to leak out as he had trouble with the last few words.

Once he was done, Mark closed the pocket knife and slipped it into his other pocket and continued his trek away from the clearing. He didn't go far without coming across another hook. He paused next to the hook and stared at it for a minute or two. It's shape wasn't something that had bothered him before, but now it seemed to be a triggering object.

The way the hook came off the metal beam and went straight downwards, and then curving perfectly for the end. It made the shape of a "J", and Mark suddenly realized what it was that he hated about it. The shape of the hook made the first letter of the name "Jack", therefore, it reminded Mark of Jack.

Mark felt that he needed to get away from the hook, to get away from any reminders of Jack. So he ran from the hook, back towards the clearing where he'd started. Once he reached it, the thoughts of Jack wouldn't leave him, and then Mark suddenly didn't want them too. There were hooks everywhere with that particular shape that could give him the good memories from before getting trapped inside the game as well as the horrible one of him dying right in his arms.

Mark took the pocket knife out again and opened it. He place the blade on his arm, just below the crook of his elbow, and pressed against his skin with as much pressure as he could. Until he could no longer stand the pain, Mark started dragging the small silver blade down, making a curve for the bottom, making a "J" shape.

Blood dripped down his arm and onto the ground, staining the dirt with little droplets of red. Mark cleaned off the blade before putting the pocketknife away. His head twitched suddenly, and it had Mark confused. But then he decided to ignore it. Images were flashing through Mark's mind, sending him into mental fits. His lip twitched into a smirk that lasted a second before it was gone again.

Mark slowly moved toward the hook that he'd seen earlier. There was a quiet whisper that sounded oddly familiar, and Mark moved slower. There was another whisper, and then Mark stepped into view and saw who was speaking.

"Mark!" They cried, sighing with relief at the sight of him.

Mark froze. Did he know this person? There was something familiar about him, but Mark just couldn't place it at the moment, no matter how hard he searched his memory. He was looking for something recent that involved blue, but all that seemed to be coming up were Jack's sky blue eyes. He looked fearfully at the man, not sure if he knew him at all, and wondered whether or not he should run.

"Mark?" The man repeated, taking a step towards him. Mark panicked and took several steps of his own backwards, away from the stranger.

But. . . was he really a stranger? Mark was starting to get something. A blue sweater, the mask that he was currently wearing, but there was no name. What his name?!

"Mark, are you okay?" The man asked worriedly.

A name suddenly came to the front of Mark's memory. "D-Del-lirious?" Mark looked the man up and down carefully, taking in his form. The empty sweater sleeve and the dry blood stain on the front of the clothes piece. Then the memory of rescuing Delirious from the hook back on Coldwind Farm flashed at the front Mark's mind, and he recognized him. "Delirious! Hey!" Mark felt excited at seeing his friend again.

Delirious seemed a bit confused, and he was staring at Mark. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be? I'm still alive, aren't I? So that should make me okay!" Mark spoke uncontrollably fast, and he swallowed a rather large amount of spit to stop himself from talking at all. "Right?" he asked once he was sure he'd calmed down, at least a little bit. He looked at Delirious with slight confusion. Who was he again? Oh yeah, his friend. Duh!

"I-I don't know. It depends on w-what you mean?" Delirious' voice was filled with uncertainty as he spoke.

"Hmm," Mark was distracted suddenly by something in the distance and stared off into space, supposedly looking for it. He forgot that Delirious was in front of him for a moment.

"Mark," Mark blinked and looked at Delirious again. He felt suddenly curious about him, and as to why he was there in the first place. "Have you seen either of the others?" Delirious asked him.

Mark immediately opened his mouth to answer, but then thought that he might start speaking uncontrollably again and closed it, shaking his head instead to answer Delirious.

"Come on, I'm not leaving you here by yourself," Delirious said, adjusting a bag over his right shoulder and heading over to the hook that Mark had been going towards in the first place.

Mark followed after him and stopped when he saw the shape of it. He looked down at his arm to tell himself that he can see it anytime he wanted now that his bloody "tattoo" was there. He watched Delirious in silence, fascinated by the way he was setting something really small on fire and then making it send the entire hook into flames. Delirious gave Mark the bag suddenly, and he blinked at him in confusion.

Delirious gestured for him to follow, and Mark threw the bag over his own shoulder and jogged lightly after Delirious. He was wondering suddenly on if Delirious was a bit freaked out by the way he was acting now, because the injured man kept glancing worriedly over his shoulder. At one point, Mark felt the need to do the same, as if there was something following them and Delirious was actually checking to be sure that there wasn't.

"Delirious!"

Mark stopped and looked in the direction of the cry to see another person running towards them. Delirious ran forward as well to meet him, and he watched with curiosity as they pulled each other into a hug. There was a girl walking up behind the newcomer, and Mark was somehow able to recognize her quicker than Delirious or. . . uh. . . Cartoonz, was it? Yeah, Cartoonz.

The girl was Avery, and she was the reason they were there.

 _The reason that we're here. . ._ Mark thought suddenly. He felt his eye twitch with irritation at the thought. If Avery was the reason that they were all there in the first place, then that meant that Jack's death was her fault.

Delirious and. . . Cartoonz were chatting with each other quietly, but Mark payed no mind to them. He didn't blame either of them for anything. It was all on Avery. By bringing them there, Jack's life was lost, and therefore he could never escape the game with them. Escape with Mark so that they could start a life together. He wasn't sure what it was, but Mark was getting the feeling that there was more to the story than what he was getting from his crazed and mixed up mind. A memory that was extremely important, but he couldn't find it anywhere, or even think of something that might lead his thoughts to it. It was locked away, as if his brain didn't want him remembering.

"Mark, are you bleeding?" Avery asked suddenly, startling Mark momentarily.

He saw Cartoonz and Delirious look over at him, and then he remembered the cut again. Looking down at the still-bloody mark, Mark stared at it in bewilderment. Was that always there? The memory of carving it into his skin flashed over Mark's eyes, and he looked up at Avery, Delirious, and Cartoonz again.

"I-I. . . guess so?" Mark squeaked.

Avery looked very startled by the confusion in Mark's tone, and she looked at Delirious, who had been with him. But to her disappointment, he shrugged.

"He's been acting pretty weird from the moment I ran into him," Delirious explained. "Which actually wasn't too long ago. Like, maybe a two minutes or so?" He added.

Avery looked worriedly at Mark, who was glancing between the three of them curiously.

 _What are they talking about?_ Mark wondered. _Wasn't it something about me. . . ? I don't know._

Mark was wondering where they were at the moment, since there was smoke in the trees above them, and the trees themselves seemed to be dotted with strange, glowing orange dots.

"What are those supposed to be?" Mark murmured to himself, dumbfounded.

Avery's shoulders sagged, as she was close enough to him to hear his words. She stared blankly at him, at a loss for words. She turned to stare at Delirious.

Delirious watched Mark as he turned in small circles, staring up at the sky. Then he noticed that Avery was looking at him. "What?" he asked, a little confused.

"What happened to him?!" Avery demanded, keeping her voice at a whisper so that Mark wouldn't hear them.

"What do you mean?" Delirious asked.

"Do you know what happened before you ran into him? Like, at all?" Avery asked.

"No," Delirious answered.

Avery looked back at Mark, who was still staring upwards.

What _had_ happened to him?


	35. The New Plan

_**To answer the question of if Mark lost himself from losing Jack; yes, he did.**_

* * *

The situation with Mark was very confusing for them all, but Avery, Delirious, and Cartoonz let him do his thing while they tried to figure out a game plan.

"So, I found something inside the Asylum, which is where I woke up," Avery began. "It was a note that said we have only five generators to repair, and that there is no hideout on this map." she explained to Delirious, as Cartoonz already knew most of this.

"No hideout!?" Delirious exclaimed loudly, making Mark look at them with a startled expression.

"Delirious! Keep it down! The Nurse can hear us _breathing_ , so I'm sure that your yelling would most definitely bring her over," Avery explained hastily in a low whisper.

"Right, I apologize my sudden outburst," Delirious said quietly.

"That's fine, just try to watch your volume from now on," Avery warned. Delirious nodded. "Well, with no hideout, that means there's no safe place for us here, now. We're all out in the danger zone one hundred percent of the time," Avery continued. "With that said, I don't think we can take down the hooks this time, either. Their design is different."

"Objection, if I may," Delirious said suddenly. Avery blinked at him. "I found a way to destroy them." Delirious stated.

Avery raised an eyebrow, not sure if Delirious was just trying to lighten the mood or not. "How is that, then?" she asked.

"We can't tear them down, but we can _burn_ them down," Delirious explained. "That's what that light was that got us together again."

"Oh," Avery said. She checked on Mark quickly before moving back to the game plan.

"I still have some of the stuff left that we need to set fire to the hooks, so we can burn down any others that we come across, too." Delirious said.

"Okay, so at least we don't need to worry about that, then," Avery sighed. "With that noted, and only five generators, I don't think that their placing is random."

"Perhaps they're all placed in specific locations. Ones that are really similar to each other?" Cartoonz suggested.

"The corners of the map!" Delirious gasped, making sure to keep his voice volume in check. "I came across a generator earlier, and it was pretty near one of the corners of the map." He explained.

"There's only four corners, I would assume, so I'm going to take a wild guess and say that the fifth generator is in the center of the map," Avery said. She suddenly looked frustrated with herself. "To think that I was that close to one!" she complained.

"Calm down, Avery," Cartoonz said. "Wait, where did Mark go?" he looked around suddenly.

Avery and Delirious did the same.

"I'm right here," Mark's voice startled them and they looked over to see Mark sitting on the ground a few yards away, drawing something into the dirt.

Avery rolled her eyes. "I swear, something happened to him. Something serious," she said. "I guess that Jack's death hit him harder then any of us. . ." she sighed and poked at the ground with her finger.

Cartoonz and Delirious fell silent, glancing at Mark worriedly. Mark was now admiring his work, but he must not have been happy with the final product, because he brushed his hands violently over the ground where he'd been drawing.

"I think he's snapped," Cartoonz said suddenly.

"Let's not think of it that way, please. I'd hate to have caused him this much pain. Not that it matters, since I already have. . ." Avery sighed sadly.

"Why don't we just look on the bright side for now and try to get the fuck out of here?" Delirious suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Mark shouted over at them in agreement before rocking forward and backwards.

"Listen to crazy over there? Or what?" Cartoonz raised an eyebrow, changing his gaze from Avery to Delirious, then at Mark.

"I guess so," Avery said.


	36. Mark's Insanity And Separation

Avery, Delirious, and Cartoonz stood up to start looking for one of the generators, but they didn't forget about Mark. Delirious walked up to him to tell him that they were leaving. Mark had stood up again and was looking up at the treetops high above them, seeming fascinated by the pale orange light of smoldered flames.

"Hey, Mark, we're going now but we can't leave you behind," Delirious said, feeling a bit like an idiot. Just because Mark was a few years younger than him didn't exactly make him an idiot.

Mark stopped looking above him and switched his gaze to Delirious, his expression turning excited. "Hi!" he said cheerfully.

Delirious blinked. He glanced quickly to the side awkwardly. "Uh," Delirious looked at Mark again. "Hi?" he was a bit puzzled.

"Who are you?" Mark asked suddenly, startling not only Delirious, but Avery and Cartoonz as well.

"Mark, what. . . what do you mean? We've gone through most of this ordeal together! How do you not recognize me?" Delirious asked, thoroughly confused.

"Hmm, I don't know," Mark said. "But I am getting that feeling like I know you from somewhere."

Delirious looked over at Avery and Cartoonz, who were just as bewildered as he was.

"Maybe it's the mask," Mark said thoughtfully. Delirious turned to him again. "I might know you, but I can't be sure. Maybe if I saw your face I'll figure it out?" Mark was looking Delirious over curiously.

Delirious was quick to push his mask up, as Mark had seen his face before. Mark stood there for several moments with his mouth open and his index finger pointing upwards.

"No, I've got nothing," Mark stated.

Delirious' eyebrows inched up his forehead. "Mark, have you lost your marbles or something? It's me, Delirious!" he looked over Mark's expressionless face.

Sudden realization spread over Mark's features and he gasped. "Ohhhh, you're that. . . that. . . that guy!" he said excitedly.

Delirious facepalmed himself. He looked to Avery and Cartoonz for help, but they seemed unable to comprehend what was going on just as much as he was. Delirious sighed and turned to Mark again. "Well, come on, we've got somewhere to go and we need you to come with us."

"Okay! I guess I could follow you guys," Mark said.

Delirious went over to join Cartoonz and Avery, and Mark followed after him. Whatever the hell had happened with Mark, it had left him really scatterbrained. To Delirious, Avery, and Cartoonz, Mark was having some kind of memory mishap. But for Mark, he couldn't stop seeing certain memories.

Images of Jack were constantly appearing in his mind, and even in front of him. He was hallucinating, but wouldn't let the others know. Mark may have been slowly losing his mind, but he could still tell when someone was concerned about him. Mark kept losing sight of where he was going, but he was quick to remember what he was doing; following Avery. He never forgot who she was, since Jack was dead because her.

Every now and then, the happy memories that played in Mark's head would turn dark and he was seeing that horrible memory of most recent occurrence. He was watching Jack die in his arms all over again. Each time that happened, a fresh surge of anger would pulse through Mark's veins and he would feel a new found hatred towards Avery.

Avery was totally unaware of Mark's hate fits that occurred inside his head, but she would glance over her shoulder at him every now and then.

"What do you think is going through his head?" Cartoonz asked her.

Avery shrugged. "I don't know, but I get the feeling that it might be something about Jack," she said.

"What makes you say that?" Delirious wondered out loud. He realized his mask was still up and slipped it down over his face again.

"The shape of the cut on his arm," Avery explained. "It looks like the letter 'J' if you look at it from the right angle, and it doesn't look like something else made it."

Cartoonz looked back and studied Mark for a moment. "So, you're saying that he made the cut himself?" he asked.

"Basically," Avery answered.

The three walked on in silence for a minute or two before they heard the thudding footsteps of Mark running up behind them.

"What's that thing?!" Mark asked loudly, stopping in front of the others and pointing ahead of them.

Cartoonz, Avery, and Delirious stopped walking and looked at where Mark was pointing. It was a generator. Avery jogged over to it and looked around before sticking her hands into the machine and started fixing things. Cartoonz joined her while Delirious hesitated. He looked at Mark, who was watching with wide, fascinated eyes.

"Do you want to help?" Delirious asked him dully.

"Sure!" Mark exclaimed cheerfully, and he joined Avery and Cartoonz. He watched what they were doing before trying it himself, and then Mark discovered how easy this task seemed to be. "I seem to be a natural at this!" he stated happily.

Delirious huffed and rolled his eyes. Mark's strange new behavior was concerning, but it was also starting to become a little annoying if not amusing. The light finally came on above the generator, and the group moved on quickly. They couldn't have gotten a safe distance away any sooner, because when Cartoonz looked over his shoulder, he spotted Sally Smithson circling the now working generator, searching for those that had just been there.

"What a rush!" Mark said suddenly, causing Cartoonz to cover his mouth quickly with his hand.

Mark blinked at him in confusion, but Cartoonz didn't take his hand down until Avery nodded to say that it was okay.

"What was that all about?" Mark asked.

"The Nurse can hear us breathing, so I had to stop you from talking so that she wouldn't come over here," Cartoonz explained.

"Wait, she can hear our breath?!" Delirious exclaimed through a whisper, his eyes wide beneath his mask.

Avery nodded. "And you've already seen that she can teleport."

"Just throw the most difficult killer on to the hardest map, why don't you whatever put us here?" Delirious muttered.

Mark looked quickly at Avery, but he pulled his gaze away so that she wouldn't catch the anger showing in his eyes. _It was Avery,_ Mark wanted to tell Delirious and. . . Cartoonz, but saying that out loud in front of Avery herself might end up causing a bit of panic. So instead he kept his thoughts to himself.

The four started heading further away from the generator, and Cartoonz quickly recognized a long structure up ahead. They were coming up to the graveyard.

"Uh, Avery?" Cartoonz leaned in towards her.

"Hmm?" Avery didn't look away from the ground in front of her.

"We're coming up to the graveyard, what do you want to do?" Cartoonz asked.

Avery stopped. So did the others. She looked ahead of them at the brick wall, and then at the area in front of the graveyard. It was either burning air or the risk of Mark seeing Jack's grave. Quite honestly, Avery hated the thought of Mark seeing that half-oval stone and falling apart again, but she didn't want to risk Delirious getting any worse than he already was.

The ash in the dirty air could get trapped behind his mask, and Avery was sure that violent coughing might do something to his shoulder. That alone made the decision clear.

"We'll go through the graveyard," Avery stated plainly.

Cartoonz looked at Avery like she was crazy, but then understanding replaced it and he glanced quickly at Delirious. Mark didn't really care where they went, he was just enjoying the adventure that the four of them were having.

 _Jack would have enjoyed this,_ Mark thought sadly.

He followed the other three as they took a sharp turn towards the graveyard, heading for a part of the wall that had collapsed. Mark noted the large amount of overgrowth that covered the crumbling brick, and guessed that the place was really old. Meaning that it was abandoned. His thoughts were dragged away by the mention of a familiar name.

"Are you sure you want to go through here? Mark might see Jack's headstone." Mark heard Cartoonz say.

Headstone. . . ?

Avery shook her head. "I think it would be better than going through the front. The ash could cause Delirious some problems. I don't want to risk him bleeding out again," she explained.

Delirious looked over towards the area in front of the graveyard. He understood Avery's concern, and wasn't willing to take that kind of risk himself. Mark was glaring at Avery, and he was just waiting for his chance to wander off. The group stepped inside the graveyard, and Delirious was looking around at the rows of grave stones planted into the ground.

There were so many of them, yet it seemed like the place was hardly filled. Avery and Cartoonz were still moving forward, passing by all the headstones to get through the graveyard. Delirious followed after them, though he glimpsed at a couple of the headstones as he passed them. The fact that they included the way each person had died was interesting, but it was a little freaky for some of the reasons. Several of the headstones all said strangled, and though it didn't say who had done it, Delirious had a pretty good idea of who was responsible.

Mark was following behind the others slowly, letting them pull ahead more and more, until he finally took the chance and veered abruptly off into another direction. If Jack had a headstone here, Mark wanted to find it.

Delirious was examining a strange headstone that was actually rectangular instead of half oval like the others, when he looked up to see where the others had gone. Avery and Cartoonz were just up ahead, but when Delirious looked around for Mark, he discovered that he wasn't with them anymore.

"Uh, guys?" Delirious called to the others.

Avery and Cartoonz stopped and looked behind them. Delirious was staring off in the direction they had just came, and then he looked at them quickly.

"Mark isn't here," Delirious stated fearfully.

Avery looked around. Cartoonz walked over to Delirious. It wasn't hard for them to lose sight of Mark, because the graveyard had a fog that was so god damn thick that they couldn't see very much around them. They had just a few meters in diameter of vision, so it would be difficult to even find Mark.

"Oh dear," Avery said. "He must have overheard you Cartoonz, and now he's gone to look for Jack's. . ." her voice faded.

"Well, we have to find him, otherwise he might get left behind and we'll never see him again!" Cartoonz spoke with determination, and Delirious nodded in agreement.

After Mark had wandered off, he started looking at each and every single headstone he passed, searching for a familiar name. It wasn't until he saw the bright acid green that Mark stopped. He stared at the bright green color that stood out so discernibly against the darker colors and thick fog.

Mark slowly stepped toward the smooth, perfectly carved rock. He saw there was no writing on it, just the green, black, and blue paint that made Septic Sam; Jack's symbol. Mark stood quietly in front of the headstone while the memory of him first meeting Jack played through his mind.

Then the memory contorted and he was seeing red. The red of blood that stained his hands as he held a dying Jack in his arms. Mark was hearing Jack's faint whispers again as his strength had been diminishing, and he wished he could have felt that final kiss once more. Mark fell to his knees and pressed his face into his hands. Then he realized that there was something different about the memory this time. Avery was there, but she wasn't doing anything. She was just sitting there, crying, when she could have been doing something to possibly save Jack. She could have redeemed herself for bringing them all there. Again the thought that he was missing something extremely important prodded at Mark's brain, but he ignored it.

Anger flared inside Mark's eyes and a wave of heat coursed throughout his body. He knew where he was; he was in a graveyard inside a videogame. He knew what he was doing; he was standing up again and slipping his hand into his pocket to pull out the pocket knife. He knew what he was going to do next; get revenge.

Mark was going to kill Avery.

He was so blinded by his grief that he could no longer see what had really happened. The only thought that occurred to Mark now was that Jack's death was entirely Avery's fault, and that she had to pay the price for it. It was an eye for an eye. Or in this case, a life for forgiveness.

Delirious, Avery, and Cartoonz had separated to look for Mark, but Cartoonz wasn't actually letting Delirious too far out of his sight. If Mark went bonkers, then he might end up hurting someone unintentionally. Cartoonz knew that he could be being over dramatic and possibly a bit too protective, but you never knew what could happen until it did.

Suddenly Delirious stopped and Cartoonz froze.

"I know you're following me, dude," Delirious said. He turned in a circle to locate him, and then looked directly at Cartoonz. "Is there any specific reason as to why?" Delirious asked.

Cartoonz gave up and walked over to him. "I don't know what could happen. I guess that I'm just a little afraid that Mark might end up hurting someone."

"So, you're saying Mark might go crazy?" Delirious checked. Cartoonz nodded. "You're being a bit skittish, Cartoonz. I'll be fine," Delirious claimed.

"Well, how am I supposed to know that?" Cartoonz demanded.

He didn't see Delirious slip his mask up and was a bit startled when he kissed him. Cartoonz blinked at Delirious with slight puzzlement.

"Will that make you shut up?" Delirious teased.

Cartoonz raised an eyebrow at him. "You think it will?" he asked.

Delirious shrugged. "No, but it was worth a try," he said, pulling his mask over his face again.

Suddenly, there was a scream that made the both of them jump, and Delirious and Cartoonz immediately knew that it wasn't from The Nurse, but from Avery. The raced in the direction of her cry and found her struggling to get away from something. No. . . some _one_!

"Mark?!" Delirious gasped.

Mark was holding Avery by the leg, but she reluctantly kicked him in the face to get away. She scrambled over the ground and ran over to Delirious while Cartoonz charged at Mark, who had stood up again. Cartoonz lunged at him and pulled Mark to the ground, where he pinned him down with his body weight. Delirious took Avery several yards away, and asked what happened.

"I don't know! He just attacked me all of a sudden!" Avery panted, her eyes wide with shock, fright written all over her face.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Mark was shouting, struggling beneath Cartoonz, who wasn't letting him up. "JACK IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU! HE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE IF YOU HADN'T BROUGHT US ALL HERE! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SHOULD BE GONE!" Mark started fighting against Cartoonz, clawing at his arms and attempting to shove him off.

Avery's lungs failed her as she stared at Mark, resentment showing in his eyes. Delirious looked at her worriedly.

"Ow! Shit!" Cartoonz cried suddenly.

Mark had lost it completely and punched Cartoonz in the face to get him off. Now Mark was running towards Delirious and Avery. Delirious saw the glint of metal in his hand and realized with horror that Mark somehow had a weapon with him.

"Avery, stay behind me!" Delirious instructed quickly, stepping in front of her.

Avery hid herself behind him the best she could, but thought better of it and actually took several steps away to stay out of whatever was about to happen. Mark attempted to maneuver around him, but Delirious blocked him off and shoved him backward. He was greatly startled by the insane glint in Mark's eyes as he stared at him, adjusting the pocket knife in his hand.

Cartoonz was coming up behind Mark, but Mark was the first to make a move. He lunged forward at Delirious, who tried to hold him off, but having only one arm to do so with was a disadvantage. One that Mark took great advantage in. He forced Delirious onto the ground with a quick push forward and drove the pocket knife into what must have been Delirious' weak point; his left shoulder.

"DELIRIOUS!" Cartoonz cried at Delirious' scream of pain and grabbed Mark by the back of his shirt.

Avery was still horrorstruck by everything going on in front of her, and was practically frozen in place at this point. Delirious was clutching his bleeding shoulder, trying to stop it from bleeding out too much. He forced himself to roll over and get to his feet again, grabbing a stray rock from nearby as he did so. Cartoonz was trying to wrestle the pocket knife from Mark's hand, and Delirious brought the rock down on Mark's head, hitting him with as much force as he dared to.

Mark suddenly went limp and fell to the ground, the pocket knife dropping from his hand. Cartoonz snatched it up quickly before turning to Delirious, who was holding his hand against his once again bloody shoulder.

"You okay?" Cartoonz asked, feeling a little stupid doing so. _No he's not! He was just stabbed!_ He scolded himself.

"Yeah, I think so," Delirious answered. "I'm just trying to keep it from bleeding out."

Delirious moved towards Avery again. She was standing stockstill yet, and Delirious had to wave his hand in front of her face to bring her back. Avery looked at Cartoonz, then at Mark who was still on the ground a few yards away, and then at Delirious.

"Oh my god! You're bleeding!" she gasped, her eyes widening.

"It's nothing," Delirious lied. Although the pocket knife had been small, his shoulder was burning with pain, and he wanted to cry out from it, but was forcing himself to hold it together and remain calm.

"Don't you be saying that it's nothing, Del," Cartoonz said sternly, crossing his arms. "I know that's where you were hooked, and now that Mark has gone and reopened the wound, he may as well have just killed you," he said.

"I'm not gonna die, Cartoonz." Delirious argued flatly, giving Cartoonz a glare.

"Well, as long as you keep pressure on it like you're doing now, then no. I think you'll be fine, but I want to look at it just to be sure," Avery said.

Cartoonz saw that Avery still looked frightened, but shock was most visible in her features now. "You doing okay?" He asked her.

Avery shook her head. "I don't know. . . I'm just really. . . broken up, I guess," she said quietly.

"I'm not surprised by that, though I am a little confused as to what happened just now," Cartoonz said, looking over at Mark. "What made him snap?" he wondered.

"Probably Jack's headstone," Avery suggested gloomily. "And Mark wasn't wrong about what he said. . . It's true that Jack would still be alive if not for me. . ." Avery's voice was wavering now and she started to sob lightly.

"Hey hey hey, don't break down," Cartoonz said quickly, placing his hands gently on Avery's shoulders.

Avery suddenly pressed herself into his chest and started crying. Cartoonz looked at Delirious with a startled look, but Delirious only looked back at him with sad eyes. He was still holding his hand against his shoulder, but it seemed to have stopped bleeding once more. Cartoonz was feeling a bit awkward in his current position, but he tried comforting Avery with a few soft words.

Delirious turned away and headed back over to Mark. He hoped he hadn't hurt him too badly, and was relieved to discover a simple bruise on Mark's forehead. He hadn't cracked the skin at all, and Mark was likely to be unconscious for a while. Delirious took his hand off his shoulder and pulled his sweater zipper down. The air was colder than he'd expected it to be when his chest was exposed to it, but it wasn't freezing cold at least. How could it be when there was so much ash, smoke and small fires around?

Delirious sat on the ground and pulled his mask off so he could see better. He took a look at the bandages on his shoulder to find that they were pretty dark from bloodstains, and wondered when they would find another first-aid kit. It was obvious that the bandages needed changing.

"How's it lookin?" Delirious looked up to see Cartoonz and Avery approaching.

"It's stopped bleeding, at least," Delirious said.

Avery got on the ground next to him and pulled his sweater off his left shoulder so she could examine it better. Cartoonz felt a stab of unease from the sight of the amount of bandages that were wrapped over Delirious' shoulder and stomach. He tried once again not to think about what Delirious must have gone through when he'd been put on the hook.

"Mark got me, but you weren't hurt at all, were you?" Delirious asked Avery.

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. He didn't physically hurt me." she explained.

Cartoonz took note of how Avery had said "physically" in her answer. Of course she'd been mentally shocked by Mark's sudden attack. Avery finished checking Delirious' shoulder and she zipped his sweater back up.

"We should keep going," she said. "After all the commotion, I don't feel too safe hanging around here."

Delirious picked his mask up off the ground and attempted to put it back on, but gave up and decided to just not wear it. Cartoonz looked at Mark and noticed a bulge in one of his pockets. He bent down and pulled out a flashlight.

"Looks like he found a box somewhere. That must be where Mark got the pocket knife then, too." Avery guessed.

Cartoonz handed her the flashlight before he bent over and picked up Mark under the arms. He positioned him over his shoulders and waited for Delirious and Avery to start moving. Delirious' shoulder still hurt from Mark stabbing it, and he was keeping his hand pressed over the injury since it seemed to help ease the pain a little.

Avery was keeping close to Delirious while Cartoonz was carrying Mark behind them. The search for the generators was back on, and Avery honestly wanted nothing more than to escape this hell of a game. She didn't know how long she would be shaken up from the whole ordeal, but Avery just hoped that Mark didn't actually know what he'd been doing. Even if he remembered what happened, Mark might actually hate the fact he did it at all.

Avery would find out when he woke up again.

The trek through the rest of the graveyard was silent, and when they finally came to the other end of it, they found a faded path that led to an opening in the brick wall. Cartoonz had to readjust Mark, since he was beginning to tire, and ended up just dragging Mark over the ground behind him.

Once the graveyard was out of sight, Avery turned to Delirious. "Sorry about my whole break down back there. It must have been pretty awkward for you and Cartoonz," she said.

Delirious glanced back at Cartoonz. "It was a little, but I don't blame you," he said. "He's piling worry onto himself." Delirious added to himself quietly.

"Huh?" Avery cocked her head curiously.

"Cartoonz," Delirious explained. "When we split up to look for Mark, he was following me around. He said he was afraid Mark might hurt someone." Delirious went quiet for second. "I guess he was right to."

"I don't blame _him_ for being worried about _you_ , quite honestly," Avery said. "I mean, if I'm right with my guess on what's going on between you two-"

"What do you mean 'going on between us'?" Delirious interrupted suddenly.

Avery rolled her eyes. "I heard some of the stuff you two were whispering when we met up again. And don't think I didn't pick up on your actions after the whole running off deal back on the MacMillian Estate." Avery looked at Delirious smugly.

Delirious had to think about what she meant for a bit and then realized that Avery was talking about when he'd wandered off not long after Cartoonz and Mark showed up at the shed. Avery was just guessing on Cartoonz's confession.

"Can I get in on this conversation?" Cartoonz came up behind them.

"She knows, man," Delirious said.

"Knows what?" Cartoonz asked.

"About us," Delirious explained flatly.

"Oh," Cartoonz looked at Avery. "For how long?" he asked.

Avery shrugged. "Not very, just since Delirious had his crazy runoff back on the Estate map," she said. "I'm just finding it really weird how much has changed from when we first met." She added a moment later.

"I thought you said you didn't ship it?" Delirious thought back to the treehouse.

"I said that I don't ship you with Evan." Avery reminded him. "I never said anything about you and Luke."

"Wait, so-" Delirious started.

"That's all I'm sayin," Avery stated bluntly.

Delirious and Cartoonz looked at each other. Cartoonz gave his boyfriend an awkward smile, to which Delirious huffed. He decided to try putting his mask on again, though it was mainly to hide the fact that his face was turning a little pink. Delirious succeeded in getting his mask on this time, and then he slipped his hand into his sweater pocket. He couldn't feel much in his shoulder anymore, so he really didn't need to hold it to keep the pain down.

"Delirious, do you still have the tools?" Avery asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Delirious looked and saw Cartoonz had the bag.

"There's a hook up ahead." Avery pointed.

Delirious looked ahead of them and saw the hook. Cartoonz handed him the small bag and Delirious went ahead of the others. He started fiddling with the items inside the bag until the hook was up in flames and then went to catch up with Avery and Cartoonz.

They hadn't gone too far, and were in fact by a generator Delirious could just about see from the now burning hook. Cartoonz had lay Mark down and was making sure no extra harm had come to him while he'd been dragged over the ground. He stuck by Mark as Delirious and Avery worked on the generator.

Delirious was concentrating harder than usual, and Avery was just trying to focus on anything other than Mark. Cartoonz was just watching the other two as well as looking around to check the area when his attention was suddenly drawn to Mark. After a few more seconds, Mark moved ever so slightly and Cartoonz tensed. He had to be ready for in case Mark tried to attack again.

"Jack!" Mark gave the sudden cry as his eyes flew open and he shot upward into a sitting position, panic written over his face.

Suddenly hearing Mark's voice out of nowhere startled Avery and she jumped rather violently. There was a fizzy sound, and then an explosion erupted from Avery's side of the generator.

"Shit, I'm sorry!" she apologized quickly.

"It's not your fault," Delirious assured her as he moved them both away from the generator. "But we have to get out of here!"

Cartoonz was hauling Mark to his feet to start running when there was a loud screech. Mark now looked confused and didn't seem to be catching anything that Cartoonz was saying to him. Then The Nurse teleported again and her loud screech followed by a pained gasp was clear in everyone's ears.

"Mark, just run with us!" Cartoonz instructed desperately, moving away from Mark a little.

Mark looked at him and followed, no longer looking confused or panicked, but regretful. The two went after Delirious and Avery. The moment they were close, The Nurse materialized in front of them. Delirious, who was in front, skidded to a halt that almost rammed him right into her.

The Nurse was quick to turn around and swing at whoever seemed closest, but Delirious ducked just in time and jumped away from the killer. She moved forward smoothly, taking another swing at Avery, who yelped and then bolted from the scene. To their slight horror, Mark ran after her, but when Delirious and Cartoonz tried to follow, The Nurse chased them off in the opposite direction.

Avery had stopped running and was now hiding inside a small cranny between two rocks. She held her breath as she waited for the sound of The Nurse's screeches to end, giving the all clear. What she wasn't expecting, or hoping, to hear was Mark.

"Avery?" Mark's voice was low, so it could only reach out so far. But it sounded awfully close. "Avery, I just want to talk," Mark said.

 _Do you?_ Avery thought bitterly, but she peeked around the edge of the rock to look for Mark. He was standing just a few meters away, but his back was to her. Avery started reaching for the flashlight for in case she would have to clobber Mark like Delirious had, but paused when Mark moved.

"Look, I'm really sorry for what happened back at the graveyard. I wish that there was a way I could make up for it." Mark spoke with a slightly wavered voice. "I mean, I know that I hurt Cartoonz and that I probably almost killed Delirious, but it had been you that I was going for and. . . I know that's something you can't just let go."

Mark's words smacked Avery hard in the face, and she blinked in astonishment at how much Mark was coming out.

"If you aren't willing to forgive me," Mark continued, and Avery stiffened with fear when she saw him pull something out and realized that it was the pocket knife. "Then that's fine," Mark said.

Avery didn't know how Mark had gotten his hands on the pocket knife again after Cartoonz had taken it away, but that wasn't what mattered at the moment. She was quite possibly in a huge amount of danger, and with Cartoonz and Delirious still missing, Avery was on her own. She was about to try running when Mark sighed sadly.

"I don't even know if you can hear me, but I guess that what I've done can't be forgiven. I caused some pretty serious damage after all." Mark's voice was getting choked up, and Avery actually felt her heart ache. "At least now I'll be with Jack." Mark finished.

Avery's eyes widened at the words as she quickly realized what they meant. "Mark, don't!" Avery cried, jumping out from her hiding spot and reaching for Mark as he was about to stab himself with the knife.

Mark stopped and spun around to face Avery, who was panic stricken and had her hand outstretched to grab the pocket knife.

"Avery. . ." Mark breathed. "I-"

"No, don't," Avery stopped him quickly. "I heard every word you said."

Mark looked at the ground, then at the pocket knife, which he closed and tossed to Avery. "Probably best if I didn't have that," he said.

"How did you even get it back?" Avery asked, looking at the small item in her hand.

"Best if I kept that to myself. It's one of my specialties," Mark said guiltily.

Avery didn't press him, but she did ask, "Why did you talk like that?"

"Like what?" Mark was confused.

"They way you ordered your words and even your tone, it sounded almost as though you didn't want to do those things." Avery explained.

Mark realized what Avery was talking about. "Yeah, I don't actually know what came over me." Mark went and sat down on the rock Avery had been hiding behind. "I don't know what it was, but I just felt this crazy hatred and a sudden desperate urge for revenge, but I. . ." Mark put his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes behind his glasses.

"You had us all worried," Avery said, joining Mark on the rock. "After you suddenly didn't recognize Delirious, we were all confused."

"I guess that him hitting me on the head with a rock knocked my senses straight again." Mark chuckled, awkwardly running his hand through his red hair, revealing the dark bruise on his forehead. "I don't suppose that this is one of those 'forgive and forget' situations, is it?" Mark asked.

Avery shook her head. "No, I wouldn't think so," She said. "But we're moving past it?"

"Can we?" Mark asked, looking at her hopefully.

Avery gave him a smile. "Yeah."

Meanwhile, Delirious and Cartoonz had miraculously managed to lose The Nurse by chance, but were now both in a panic trying to to find Avery and Mark. They weren't sure if Mark was still going through his insanity episode, and after Cartoonz discovered the pocket knife was gone, they knew that Avery could be in serious danger.

"She's over there!" Delirious whispered suddenly.

Cartoonz snapped his gaze over to where Delirious was looking and saw Avery too. But then he saw Mark just behind her. Delirious must have realized that something was different, because he tried to grab Cartoonz as he started to charge towards Mark. Delirious failed to grab him, though, and Cartoonz ended up tackling Mark fully head on.

Avery yelped with surprise when Cartoonz came barreling out of nowhere. Mark's eyes were wide with fright as he was pinned against the ground by the older man.

"Cartoonz, wait!" Delirious exclaimed, running over and pulling Cartoonz off of Mark.

"What do you mean 'wait'?!" Cartoonz demanded. "He could have killed you back there!"

"Yeah, but does he look like he's trying to kill anyone now?" Delirious asked, forcing Cartoonz to look at Mark.

Mark had pushed himself away over the ground a little, and he was breathing heavily. There was a hint of fear in his eyes as well. Cartoonz blinked with the sudden realization of how different Mark suddenly appeared, and he calmed down a little bit.

"What exactly happened?" He asked, looking at Avery.

Avery pulled out the pocket knife and gave it back to Cartoonz. "We got things figured out." she answered.

Cartoonz caught the small item and looked at it, then at Avery again. "You sure?"

"I know what I did and I greatly regret it," Mark said, standing up. "I hope I didn't hurt you too badly?" He looked over at Delirious, who shook his head.

"It stopped bleeding pretty quickly," he said.

Mark let out a relieved sigh. But Cartoonz wasn't looking too happy. He was about to give an angry retort when Delirious put his hand on his shoulder. Cartoonz looked at him, and Delirious shook his head.

"Let it go," he said quietly. "There's no point in fighting anymore."

"Delirious is right," Avery agreed. "If we just argue about this, we'll never get out of here."

Cartoonz looked between Mark, Delirious, and Avery, and then he sighed. "All right, I'll push it aside, but only for now." He stated.

Mark nodded his understanding. Cartoonz slid the pocket knife into his jacket, and then Avery started off in the direction opposite the generator they had just been at. She wasn't willing to take the risk, and The Nurse had seemed to just randomly disappear. As they were walking, Cartoonz wasn't taking his eye off of Mark, and Mark was starting to grow a little uncomfortable being under his burning gaze.

Delirious could sense tension coming from Cartoonz, so he nudged him with his arm. Cartoonz cast him a short glare, and Delirious tried to look offended.

Cartoonz raised an eyebrow. "What are trying to do?" He asked.

"Help you relax, maybe?" Delirious teased him lightly.

"Well, you're not doing a very good job of it," Cartoonz stated accusingly.

"Hey, I'm doin' my best!" Delirious grumbled.

Cartoonz chuckled.

"What?" Delirious looked at him suspiciously.

"Nothin," Cartoonz shrugged. "Just that it almost seems like you're trying to copy me."

"Copy you?!" Delirious was taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how _I_ was the one trying to make _you_ feel better at that generator, and now _you're_ the one doing the same with me!" Cartoonz explained gruffly.

Delirious went silent for a moment. "Isn't that what friends are for?" He leaned in closer to Cartoonz. "Or did you forget that we're more than that?"

Cartoonz rolled his eye at the remark, and he pushed Delirious away playfully. Delirious laughed at his reaction before walking in silence.

Avery looked back at the two before she started looking for another generator or possibly a hook again. The way they interacted with each other now was different from before in some way, but Avery couldn't put her finger on it. How was it different? She didn't know how they acted around each other outside of YouTube, so how could she know? She wasn't 100% sure about their relationship

Mark may have apologized, but he felt that what he'd done wasn't easily forgiven. And why wouldn't it be? He could have possibly ended up killing Delirious, and even though he was fine now, what happened could have ended differently. Cartoonz definitely wasn't pleased with how he'd had to let the event go, and Mark could sense the loathing in his stare. He was thankful when Avery pointed out a hook up ahead.

Delirious ran up to it, and Avery followed him. She started helping Delirious with setting the hook on fire, while Mark was attempting to keep his distance from Cartoonz. Cartoonz decided to let Mark be and he walked past the hook, which was now sparking up. It burst into flame a second later, but he didn't look back.

He was looking ahead at something that the firelight was reflecting off of. When the flames had engulfed the hook, something up ahead suddenly appeared. It looked like metal.

"Hey, I think there's another generator up there!" He called back to the others.

Avery came over to see for herself, and then Mark and Delirious came up behind her.

"Okay, I guess that takes us closer to escaping," Avery said, looking hopeful.

Before the group could head towards the generator, though, there was a loud screech. The Nurse had found them again, and she was quickly in front of the four. The Nurse brought her bonesaw down on Avery, but Mark pulled her out of harm's way before she was hit.

"Just split!" Avery ordered suddenly, startling the others. "She can only go after one at a time, so it would be best if we just met up later!"

It took a moment of hesitation, but Mark, Delirious, and Cartoonz took off in separate directions while Avery ran in another.


	37. Stuck In A Situation

Mark hadn't exactly like the idea of splitting up, but Avery knew more about the game than he did, so it could only be the smartest option right now. He looked back at the others as they headed off in other directions before taking off in his own. Hopefully the heat would die down and they could all reunite soon. Mark didn't like the thought of being alone for too long, because he was afraid that he might go crazy again.

After Delirious had hit him with a rock, knocking him out, his mind had been set straight. He knew now that what he'd been missing while his mind was off was that Avery hadn't brought them all there on purpose, and that she had also _tried_ to save Jack, and that Jack was the one who stopped her from doing so. That was the one thing that had Mark confused. Why had Jack stopped Avery from trying to help?

These confusing thoughts had been going through Mark's head ever since he had made up with Avery, but now they weren't his concern. Getting away from The Nurse was his concern right now. She had chosen to go after him, and Mark wasn't exactly hopeful on getting away. But to his surprise, The Nurse made a sudden turn and teleported away.

Mark stopped and waited. He wasn't sure if she had gone ahead to cut him off or went after one of the others. He was all alone for the time being, and he was starting to feel the anxiety creeping into him, messing with his mind. Mark shook his head before he slowly made his way over to a bent over tree. The trunk was snapped at the bottom, so the blackened tree was lying almost flat on the ground, since some of it was still attached to what was left for a stump.

Mark could still see the faint firelight from the burning hook, but he wasn't heading back to it. It he knew the others, they wouldn't go back to where they split up. Avery hadn't said to, and unless she had, then everyone had to meet up again by chance. Mark sat down under the tree to rest, his head throbbing where Delirious had left a large bruise.

 _Was it the only way to stop my rampage?_ Mark wondered, thinking back to the strangely blurry memory of getting hit on the head with something cold and hard. He saw a flash of blue, and then everything went black. That was all that had been left of his craze moment. _I guess it was, then._ Mark thought.

He waited a couple of minutes before standing up again and looking for something that might help him. Avery had said that she had found a note inside the Asylum saying that there were only five generators, and got frustrated when she realized that she may as well have just passed one. Mark may have been a little out of it at the time, but he'd still been picking up on what the others had been saying.

Mark wandered until he saw a large gray structure that must have been the Asylum. He turned towards it and walked along the wall until he came across a window he could climb through. Hopefully he would find the generator that Avery believed was here, and then maybe Cartoonz might not detest him as much. Mark couldn't let himself get his hopes up, though, because there might not even be a generator here.

Wandering through the hallways was leaving Mark with strange theories as to what happened here. With all of the broken bed frames and ripped up, blood stained mattresses everywhere, he was getting the feeling that something occurred after whatever fire had torn through the building. The walls were scorched black in places, and the floor didn't look very stable in others. The entire Asylum was a mess, and that was really the only thing that Mark would let himself pick up on.

It was only the first floor that Mark was currently exploring, and he chose to ignore the few staircases he came across heading up to the second floor of the building. The one staircase that he came across that was slightly unexpected, went down. Mark stood at the top of it, staring down into what must have obviously been the basement. It was emitting a strange feel, one that was different from the others.

Mark looked around him nervously, wondering where The Nurse was at the moment. Hopefully, nowhere near him. Slowly, Mark took a step forward, placing his foot cautiously on the first step. It was lightly dusted with some kind of sand, and so was the rest of the staircase. Mark carefully made his way down into the basement where he immediately felt a drastic change in the temperature. It was nearly freezing, while it was rather warm upstairs and almost unbearably hot outside.

Mark shivered from the instant cold and he decided to stay at the bottom of the steps. The first thing he noticed about the basement, which was fairly large, was that there were zero hooks. Instead there was a single noose hanging from the ceiling, and the rest of the room was entirely empty. Except for one thing in the corner that soon caught Mark's attention.

It was some kind of shelf built into the wall, and there were three pockets large enough to fit a human. And that was exactly what they held. Mark stared at the three rotting bodies that were oddly familiar to him. He recognized one of them as Dwight, one of the characters in the game, and supposed that the other two were also from the game.

The basement was starting to give him the complete creeps, so Mark chose to turn around and head back upstairs. He welcomed the warmer temperature with a sigh before he started looking around again. Mark wandered around the first floor of the Asylum for a bit longer before heading up to the second. It was freakier than the first floor, and Mark finally decided to just leave the Asylum all together. But when he tried to find a way out, he couldn't even locate a staircase down to the first floor again.

Jumping out a window from the second floor shouldn't have been a problem either, but once again, Mark couldn't locate one. He was lost inside the hallways of the Insane Asylum, and considering the earlier events from the graveyard, being trapped here wasn't really the best situation.

Mark had gotten himself stuck in the worst kind of situation that he could get himself into. Without an escape route from the Asylum, the chances of The Nurse finding him may as well be greater. What was worse, if he couldn't find a way out, he couldn't find the others. It would have to be them that find him, and Mark didn't actually think that chance was likely.

But perhaps he wouldn't have to worry about that, because when Mark had gone through the security room in the center on the second floor, he finally spotted an opening in the wall that led outside. It wasn't a window, but it was still technically a way out. Mark picked up the pace and was soon running towards the opening, getting excited at the thought of finally getting out of this burnt up building.

Before Mark reached the gap in the wall, however, the was a sudden lurch beneath him and he yelped with surprise as the floor crumbled beneath him. Mark tried to grab hold of what floor hadn't suddenly collapsed underneath him, but he missed and fell with the rest of the rubble.

* * *

When Mark opened his eyes again, he found himself half buried in crumbling concrete. He pushed himself out from underneath the rubble he'd fallen down with, and though it was painful, he managed. Once he was free, Mark examined the damage he'd taken from the fall. It didn't seem to be anything more than a few scratches and other bleeding cuts. He struggled to his feet and looked around.

There were walls all around him, and Mark couldn't see a door. It appeared that the only way out was through the hole in the floor above him. He guessed he was in what was an unfinished room of the Asylum, and just hoped that he would be found soon. Mark seemed to be having a lot of hope with things here.

He tried climbing up the piles of rubble to reach the opening, but even when he stacked what he could pick up, he couldn't get high enough. Mark stared upward through the gap, listening to the sound of his racing heart and whatever else was up there. It was quiet, and Mark wasn't even sure if there was anyone or anything else inside the Asylum.

"HEY!" Mark yelled out of desperation. There was no answer, just the echoing of his own voice bouncing off the Asylum's stone walls.

This was just fantastic.

He was trapped.


	38. Delirious Until Dead

Delirious was hesitant to run, mostly because he was hating the thought of separation from Cartoonz. Mark was no longer really his concern, since he seemed to have returned to his proper senses or whatever. Cartoonz gave Delirious a fearful look before the two of them followed Avery's instructions and ran in different directions.

Delirious ran past the generator and kept going, not stopping even when he heard The Nurse's screech ahead of him. He veered suddenly to the side to dodge around The Nurse when she appeared, almost slipping on some mud. Delirious continued to run, not daring to look behind him to see if The Nurse was somehow following after him.

It was only when Delirious was out of breath that he finally stopped running. He looked around to make sure that he was safe, and then let himself fall onto the ground. He lay flat with his hand clutching his heaving chest, and was trying to slow his breath so he could hear around him. For several minutes, Delirious just lay there, panting lightly from his run. His legs ached, and so did his shoulder, and he didn't really want to get up or even move.

But Delirious knew that he couldn't just sit there doing nothing; the others were still out there, looking for each other. Delirious opened his eyes and he immediately gasped. Spinning around quickly into a standing position, Delirious stared up at the large metal door in front of him. He'd found an exit gate by chance, and that just made things easier. As long as he remembered the basic surroundings, he should be able to find it again easily, aiding himself and the others to their escape. All that was really left to do was find the others and finish the rest of the generators.

Delirious turned around to look out into the black forest, trying to figure out which way to head first. The sooner he found someone, the better. He started walking out into the trees slowly, being cautious about anything that moved. Each small movement caused by a light breeze or even the softest sound was suddenly a possible threat, and Delirious thought that he might just go crazy, like Mark had, from it.

Delirious walked for a while until he saw a small object nearby and went over to investigate. He'd been lucky enough to at least come across one of the boxes around the map, and he started digging through it. He eventually found a small container filled with some food, which he was tempted to eat, but instead put the small container into the bag with the rest of the items. Although he was pretty hungry at the moment, Delirious wasn't going to be selfish. He was going to save what food was in the small container for when he was reunited with the others, that way they could at least split what was there.

Delirious didn't wander far from the box before he heard movement somewhere ahead of him. It didn't sound like a simple breeze or even himself, but more like someone else. One of the others? Hopefully. What else could it be? The Nurse couldn't possibly make a noise like running, could she? She floated an inch or so above the ground, so how that would even be possible was confusing. Delirious moved at a slower pace than before, approaching the area ahead of him cautiously.

The area was quiet, with the only sign of something or someone else having been there the faint footprints in the ground. Delirious couldn't make who had made them, but it must have been Mark or Cartoonz.

"Hello?" Delirious called out carefully, looking around him slowly, his eyes peeled on each burnt tree and shriveled bush.

The response that Delirious got was unexpected, as it was distant, but sounded a lot like crashing. Delirious looked quickly in the direction of the sound and went over to it. He found the Asylum looming far above him, and was quick to head inside. The place was a total mess, with mattresses littered everywhere and the bloodstained walls made Delirious uneasy. The dirty, gray stone floor and walls worked against Delirious as he walked, forcing each silent step he took to echo through the corridors.

With his faint footsteps being enough to send light noise through the building's hallways, Delirious breathed as lightly as he could, almost holding his breath just so it wouldn't alert The Nurse he was here. If she was here as well, that is. Delirious wasn't really taking any chances.

One thing that got Delirious a little excited was the cry that suddenly filled the corridors. It sounded like Mark's voice, but what got Delirious worried was how desperate it sounded. Delirious ignored his worry and started running towards Mark's echoing cry, his own footsteps thudding loudly around him as he pounded up the stairs to the second floor.

"Hello?" Delirious stopped when he heard Mark's voice again. He tried to pinpoint it.

"Is someone there?" Mark's voice came again.

There. Delirious found where it was coming from, but was a little horrified to find it was coming from down a large hole in the floor. He placed the bag on the ground and slid closer to the edge of the cracked and crumbled floor.

"Mark?" Delirious said, peering over the edge.

"Huh?" Mark had been looking at the pile of rubble in the hole with him, but now he looked up. "Hey! Delirious!" He sighed with relief at the sight of someone familiar.

"What happened?" Delirious asked.

"I don't know, the floor just collapsed out from under me all of a sudden," Mark answered. "I'm just glad to see you right now, to be honest. I thought that I might be stuck here on my own until I got out myself."

Delirious huffed lightly in amusement, but then his tone was serious when he asked, "You're not hurt, are you?"

Mark shook his head. "No, not too badly at least. Just a couple scrapes and cuts, but nothing else too serious," He explained. "Although I think my leg might be bleeding again."

Delirious had to think for a moment before he remembered the first injury that Mark had received on Autohaven Wrecker's. It hadn't really been a problem after they'd moved on to Coldwind Farm, so now that it might have reopened was a bit of a concern.

"All right, well, I'm gonna do what I can to help, but I don't think that getting you out of there is something I can do right now," Delirious said.

Mark gave him a forlorn look. Delirious then remembered the food he'd found and went back to the bag to retrieve it. He tossed it down to Mark.

"I found this on my way over here. You might find it more useful at the moment," Delirious said as Mark caught the small container of food. "I'm gonna go find something that will hopefully help to get you out of there, okay? Think that you can manage a little longer here?" He asked.

"I don't know, but I trust you." Mark sighed.

Delirious lifted himself to his feet again and, leaving the bag behind since he would (hopefully) return, went off to search for something useful or even better. Finding one of the others to help him with this situation would be better, since they would be able to use both arms. Delirious growled at himself for thinking about what he couldn't do now that his left arm was paralysed.

Once outside the Asylum, Delirious chose to start heading back towards the generator where they had all split to begin a more proper search. He would be looking for Avery or Cartoonz while he was heading over there of course, but from the generator, he could try following the path that one of them had taken in their escape. The only thing that would prevent Delirious from getting to that point was if he found Cartoonz or Avery or The Nurse managed to get ahold of him.

Except it was neither of those cases for Delirious. What stopped him was the sight of a hook. If he'd brought the bag with him, then Delirious could have set fire to it. Then he suddenly realized that the firelight could be used as a flare to lead someone else over here. Delirious growled at himself again out of frustration for having not thought about it before leaving Mark back in that hole inside the Asylum.

He was about to actually turn around and head back when Delirious noticed something about the hook ahead of him. There was something hanging from it, and when he stepped closer, Delirious' eyes widened with horror. It was Cartoonz's jacket, and the hook was protruding through the shoulder of it, the tip of the black metal dripping slightly with blood.

Delirious raced over to the hook and pulled the leather jacket off. The inside was stained dark red from the blood, and Delirious was starting to feel panic rising inside him. Cartoonz couldn't be dead, could he? There was no way he was gone. . . Delirious wouldn't let himself believe it. He loved him, and there was no way he was going to lose him like Mark had Jack. He couldn't.

Well, Mark couldn't lose Jack, but he had. There was something different and strange about the hook in front of Delirious, though. If Cartoonz had been killed, why was his jacket still here? Surely it would have gone with him, right? And what about the blood on the hook? Why was it all there was? There was a chance that Cartoonz was still alive and out there somewhere, but the blood made it obvious that he was now hurt, and it was how badly that had Delirious worried. Because he didn't know, it made things worse, and Delirious more desperate to find him.

The blood on the hook was still pretty fresh, so there was a chance that Cartoonz wasn't too far away. Delirious knew that he had to get back to Mark, but if Cartoonz was still alive and not so badly injured, then he could help get Mark out of that hole.

"Cartoonz?!" Delirious called, throwing caution to the wind as he shouted loudly. Delirious searched the ground and saw a faint trail of blood and followed it. It could only belong to Cartoonz, since he was the one who'd been put on the hook. But because there was so little blood and Delirious had never heard a scream, then he must be okay, right? But. . . what if Cartoonz had forced his scream of pain down so that nobody heard him, specifically Delirious? Delirious shook the thought from his head. "No, Cartoonz, you wouldn't do that just for me, would you?" he mumbled to himself.

Delirious didn't get far before he heard the horribly familiar ear piercing shriek of The Nurse. He looked frantically around for her, trying to figure which way to run. Finally, Delirious spotted her, but it was too late that he did, for she was just feet in front of him. Before Delirious could even make a move to start running, his mask was knocked off and it landed on the ground a few feet away. Then he saw a splash of blood.

Whether it was his or not, he didn't know.


	39. The Luck Of CaRtOoNz

Cartoonz cast Delirious a fearful look before the two of them took off. He hated leaving him, but Avery said that The Nurse could only go after one person at a time, so splitting up was really the best option right now. No matter how much he hated it, Cartoonz left the others and ran what he believed was towards the Asylum. If he could find the large building, then maybe if The Nurse chased him he could easily lose her?

The loud screech behind him told Cartoonz that The Nurse had chosen him for her target, and he started running faster. He ran until there was a sudden blast of air that blew past him. The Nurse suddenly appeared several feet in front of him, gasping painfully from the effects of teleportation. Cartoonz skidded to a halt and turned abruptly to the right. He caught sight of a large structure and immediately knew that it was the Asylum.

Cartoonz started heading for it, but The Nurse had other plans and teleported once again in front of him, and she took a swing before the side effect came again. Luckily, she missed, and Cartoonz was able to run around her. Unluckily, The Nurse recovered quickly and she was just feet behind Cartoonz as he tried to escape.

Cartoonz wasn't able to run far before there was a sharp pain in his leg. It gave out underneath him, and although he tried not to lose his footing and fall over, Cartoonz had to throw his hands out in front of him to stop himself from landing flat on the ground. The Nurse grabbed his jacket just as he tried to get to his feet once more, and then pulled him towards her.

Cartoonz was rather startled by The Nurse's strength, as she was somehow able to hoist him over her shoulder with ease and her stride never faltered. At least not from Cartoonz struggling to get out of his jacket. If he was lucky, he would avoid being seriously injured and only his jacket would take the damage. But the position that The Nurse had him in made it difficult for Cartoonz to even try getting his jacket off. Then he saw the hook just inches behind him and started to panic.

Just as The Nurse began to lift him off her shoulder, Cartoonz was able to loosen his jacket at the back a little, and then there was the lurch of falling backward. Pain shot through his shoulder, but Cartoonz forced the scream down. What came as a surprise, was how little pain there actually was. It was then that Cartoonz realized that his plan had worked, and the hook had only left a long scratch on his back and a hole in his jacket.

The Nurse didn't seem to notice that the hook hadn't stabbed through her victim's shoulder, and she drifted off to find another target. When Cartoonz was sure she was gone, he slipped his arms out of the sleeves of his torn jacket and tried to keep his landing as quiet as he could. Thankfully, he landed with a soft thud and was quick to leave the hook behind him.

When the hook was no longer visible behind him, Cartoonz finally stopped to take a look at what injuries he'd sustained. The scratch on his back ran down his shoulder, and it stung horribly when he touched it lightly, but it otherwise didn't seem so bad. He could feel the blood running down his skin, and the back of his T-Shirt was stained red now with it. Cartoonz lowered himself onto the ground and discovered that the bottom of his left pants leg was suddenly missing. A small, bleeding gash was what had been left by the hit he'd taken from The Nurse earlier, but at least Cartoonz could stand steadily.

With The Nurse no longer his first concern, Cartoonz started looking around for Avery, Mark, or Delirious. It would be better if he found them all at once, but what were the chances of that happening? Cartoonz had stopped just outside the Asylum, so he found a way in and slowly explored the empty stone hallways. He hated the way that even the smallest of sounds ended up echoing off the walls, and when there was a louder, much more obvious noise, Cartoonz jumped.

He held his breath and looked around with his eye wide, trying to figure out where the sound of something crumbling apart had come from. It must have come from somewhere else in the building, because even without the echoing, Cartoonz was sure that the noise would have been magnified inside the Asylum. A short while afterwards, Cartoonz heard someone else's voice, but he wasn't sure whose.

Instead of heading towards the sounds, Cartoonz turned around and headed in the opposite direction. He knew that he might be turning away from one of the others, but what if it was actually The Nurse causing a ruckus to lead one of them over to her? Cartoonz wasn't letting the possibility of the killers being clever enough to set up a trap or play dirty tricks down, so he was either being really stupid, or extra careful.

Cartoonz stopped when he came across what appeared to be some kind of operation room. It must have been for the sick patients at the Asylum, but it wasn't in use anymore. Cartoonz rummaged through the broken drawers and was a little surprised to find some bandaging. Normally they would only be inside the first-aid kits that you would be lucky enough to find in one of the boxes scattered over the map. Glancing out the door quickly, Cartoonz took a small roll, which was strangely clean for how long it must have been inside that drawer.

He wrapped some of it around the wound on his leg before cutting it off and then slipping what was left on the roll into one of his pockets. Cartoonz started rooting through everything else in the room, getting lucky to find some kind of secret storage compartment. He took one of the bloodstained knives that was stored in the back of the compartment, and then left the room, feeling that with a weapon, he would be able to defend himself or one of the others better. It was why all these useful items were lying about that had Cartoonz a little confused.

Cartoonz left the Asylum and started back for the hook, hoping to get his jacket back. He saw some movement before reaching the hook, and paused to try to figure out what it was. He didn't see it again, but he had the feeling that whatever had made it was still nearby.

"Cartoonz?!" came the ever familiar voice of Delirious.

It sounded frightened and a little desperate, and then Cartoonz realized that Delirious must have found his jacket first and possibly thought that he was either severely injured or even dead. Cartoonz ran in the direction of Delirious' cry, hoping that he wouldn't draw unwanted attention to himself. When he heard the shrill screech of The Nurse, Cartoonz also managed to find Delirious. The screech had meant that The Nurse was near, and apparently she had found Delirious, too.

The Nurse was directly in front of Delirious, and Cartoonz put on a burst of speed to reach him sooner. But even that wasn't enough. The Nurse swung her bonesaw at Delirious, and Cartoonz suddenly panicked at the painful yell that Delirious made. He saw blood, but forced himself to focus on The Nurse. Cartoonz pulled out the knife he'd taken from the Asylum and almost threw it at The Nurse, but instead held onto the blade's handle and thrust it into her side.

The shriek The Nurse made from the pain of the injury she'd just received might have been enough to make Cartoonz's ears bleed. He yanked the knife out of The Nurse's side and and blocked a lunge from her bonesaw. The Nurse paused and simply glared at Cartoonz with what he could only guess was hatred, since he couldn't actually see underneath the cloth that covered her entire face.

There was a grunt from the ground next to him, and Cartoonz glanced over at Delirious to see him holding his hand against his forehead. The Nurse brought Cartoonz's attention back by throwing another attack at him, but he was able to dodge it in time. He brought the knife up and buried it deep into The Nurse's shoulder.

With another shrill scream of agony, The Nurse suddenly disappeared as she teleported away, leaving Cartoonz and Delirious alone. Once she was gone and the surrounding area had fallen fairly quiet, Cartoonz went over and picked up Delirious' mask.

"You okay?" He asked Delirious.

Delirious lowered his hand to reveal a bloody cut on his forehead, and Cartoonz nearly gasped at how much blood had already spilled from the fresh wound. He immediately pulled out the roll of bandaging he'd brought with him and got to his knees next to Delirious.

When Delirious realized what Cartoonz was holding, his brow furrowed with confusion. "Where the hell did you got that?" He asked.

"I found it inside one of the rooms in the Asylum," Cartoonz explained, wrapping the bandage around Delirious' head.

Delirious thought for a moment, letting Cartoonz tend to his injury. "H-How did you escape?" he asked, suddenly realizing how mobile Cartoonz seemed to be. "I found your jacket on that hook back there, but how were you able to get away without any injuries?"

"Actually, I've got a scratch on my back now, but otherwise I'm fine. How I got away? That was easy, I just tried slipping my jacket off, is all," Cartoonz explained. He finished with Delirious and cut the bandage off at the end and made sure it was firm before putting the roll aside. "Did you find any of the others?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah! I ran into Mark, but he's kind of stuck. I came out here again looking for you or Avery, hoping that you could help me get him out," Delirious said. He handed Cartoonz back his jacket. "Here, you might want this. Although I don't really think it's any good anymore."

Cartoonz took the jacket and examined the hole in the back. Surprisingly, it wasn't very large, and he suddenly wondered just how strong the leather was. Shrugging, he put it on again, and then put the bandage roll back in his pocket. He picked up Delirious' mask and gave it to him.

"Don't know if you can wear that at all, but. . ." Cartoonz didn't finish.

Delirious looked down at the mask in his hand, then back at Cartoonz. "It would probably be best if I didn't." He said.

Cartoonz nodded. "You said you found Mark?"

Delirious' eyes seemed to brighten. "Oh, right! Yeah, he's just in the Asylum. Follow me!" Delirious got to his feet and Cartoonz followed after him.

Delirious led Cartoonz through the building to a staircase and up onto the second floor. It was when Cartoonz saw the large hole in the floor that he was puzzled. How was Mark unable to get out? Were there walls around him or something? That's exactly what the case was when Cartoonz looked down at Mark, who was trying figure out something with the large pile of rubble in the hole with him.

"Mark!" Delirious called down.

Mark looked up to see him and Cartoonz. "Oh, thank god you're okay! I heard something going on outside the Asylum and got a little worried," he said.

Cartoonz leaned over the edge as Mark got as high on the pile as he could and reached up for his hand. Delirious took Mark's other hand and together he and Cartoonz were able to lift him out of the hole.

"What did happen out there?" Mark asked as he noticed Delirious putting his mask in the bag of tools and the bandage around his head.

"The Nurse happened," Cartoonz explained. "But we're both okay." He looked at Mark for a moment, and then asked, "What about you?"

"Ah nothing too serious, just a couple cuts," Mark said. "Where did you find a first-aid kit?"

"He didn't," Delirious looked over. "Cartoonz raided one of the rooms downstairs."

"Well, it's a good thing I did," Cartoonz turned his head to look at Delirious. "Who knows what could have happened if I hadn't?"

Delirious rolled his eyes, but his lips curved into a smile. He took the bag and stood up as Mark got to his own feet. Cartoonz looked at the two of them and then around. The Asylum was fairly silent, which meant that The Nurse wasn't around.

"We should see if we can find that generator that Avery mentioned might be in here," Cartoonz said.

Mark nodded in agreement. "I was trying to find it earlier, but then all I wanted to do was get out of here. That's when I fell through the floor."

"Well, at least nothing's broken, right?" Delirious said with a little worry.

Mark shook his head. "No, but I would like to get out of here," he looked around at the stone walls. "This place is giving me the creeps."

Cartoonz took the bag from Delirious to carry so that he wouldn't have so much weight on his shoulders, and the three men started searching the building for the generator.


	40. Say It From The Heart

"Just split!" Avery shouted. "She can only go after one at a time, so it would be best if we just met up later!"

She didn't notice the startled looks on the others' faces or their hesitation to run, for Avery had immediately turned to run from the scene. She didn't know who The Nurse went after, but if she was to catch anyone, hopefully they would get away. Avery's legs began to hurt from all the running she was doing, and she finally had to stop for a breather.

After giving herself several minutes to catch her breath, Avery started looking around to get her bearings. She saw a hook nearby, and then was a little surprised by the familiarity of the area past it. How the heck did she and Mark miss that? Avery was at the place where Mark had tried apologizing for what he did and almost took his own life for it. Thankfully, she had stopped him before he could do anything serious.

But now that Avery thought about it, that other generator was around here somewhere too. With the others most likely all the way across the map, she was alone, and would probably take longer to find them. Her best option right now was to find that generator from earlier and finish repairing it, and then she could go look for Mark, Delirious, and Cartoonz.

Nodding to herself, Avery started looking around for something that might symbolize metal. She caught a glimpse of something and stopped, but was disappointed to find that it wasn't the generator. Not only was it not the generator, it was The Nurse. Now Avery was in danger. Was it just her or was the entire game against her all of a sudden?

Avoiding The Nurse as best as possible, Avery circled around the pile of rocks that she and Mark had made up for what happened in the graveyard at. She finally spotted the generator, whirring just slightly from what measly repairs had been made, and ran over to it. Looking around carefully for The Nurse, Avery started making the finishing repairs.

She tried not to panic every time she heard the screeching of The Nurse each time she teleported, and was desperately working to finish the generator when The Nurse got closer. At one point, Avery had to stop and make a run for it, but she didn't go very far. She wasn't going anywhere until that machine was fixed up. It happened several more times, and once, Avery was almost seen by The Nurse.

She held her breath and didn't move for several minutes, and then went back to the generator. Fixing the generator while The Nurse was hanging around the area was aggravating, as it was a massive complication to her task. But after what felt like hours, Avery finally managed to finish up the repairs to the generator.

But then there was the fact that when the light flashed on above her, The Nurse was given the coordinates to Avery's location, and it wasn't long before she showed up with a loud, earsplitting screech.

Before long, Avery was running as fast as her legs would carry her. She thought for a moment that she might actually get away, but she had underestimated The Nurse badly, and was nearly knocked over when The Nurse cut in front of her. Letting a yelp of fright leave her, Avery tried making a sharp turn, but felt something sharp hit her in the side. Holding back her scream, Avery didn't look back and just ran in whichever direction seemed logical.

She was lucky to have lost The Nurse, but there was the chance that she was actually letting her go to chase after someone else who might have triggered something. Whatever the reason, Avery was just thankful for a moment's rest. The Nurse had cut open her side, but it wasn't deep enough to cause any serious harm, which was a relief. Avery placed her hand over the bleeding scratch and slowly stood up once more, looking around her.

There was something familiar about where she was, and Avery suddenly realized that she was by the first hook she came across after waking up on the map. That would also explain why the air was so hot and made her eyes water. Avery continued in the direction she had been running, and eventually found herself at the place where they had all been reunited for the first time on this particular map. Where Mark had been having recognition issues, too.

Avery was suddenly heading over to where Cartoonz had seen the weird light that had led the four of them together in the first place. She found a destroyed hook, and was just slightly amazed at how much damage that the fire Delirious had obviously set to it had done.

"Don't want to mess with Delirious when he's got fire on hand," Avery said to herself as a reminder. "In game or not."

Turning away from the demolished hook, Avery made her way back the way she came, but more towards the edge of the map. Avery didn't know why, but she had a strange urge to explore a little of the map a bit more. She kind of wished she had at least gone a different direction when she discovered something carved into a tree.

It looked as though it were some kind of written message, but it was sloppy and the marks were almost practically slashed into the black bark of the dead tree. Avery gasped when she realized fully what it was.

A message carved by Mark. Only he would write something like that.

 _Jack,_  
 _I know that you will never read this, but I wanted to let you know something that I've been wanting to tell you. Ever since realizing my feelings for you, I wanted nothing more than to keep you safe. I guess I was expecting too much of you when I told you to go back to the shed with Avery. In a way, it's (scratched out) fault._  
 _I want to see you again and say I love you, but. . . I guess that won't happen. Not unless I bring myself to you._  
 _I may see you again soon, Jack._


	41. The Finishing Touches

They searched the building, not coming up with anything for a while, but then Mark spotted something worth checking out. Thankfully it was the generator, and the three men started repairing it immediately. Of course Delirious had some trouble, but he was able to get a little extra done than what he could normally do with his injury. Once they were finished, however, Cartoonz was picking up on the strain showing in his face.

"You okay, Delirious?" He asked quietly once the three of them had started wandering the building in search of an exit.

"Yeah, just a little sore," Delirious answered. He glanced away from Cartoonz for a moment. Cartoonz watched Delirious carefully. "No. I'm worried about Avery." Delirious said suddenly.

Cartoonz rolled his eyes. "Delirious, I pretty sure that we all are." He thought for a moment. "It's probably an obvious answer, but why do you feel so responsible for her? Is it because she's still a kid?" he asked.

"I don't know," Delirious sighed after a minute. "It kind of has something to do with my sister. . ."

Cartoonz blinked. He knew what Delirious was talking about, but he also knew that hearing him mention his sister at all wasn't something he ever did. If he did, though, it meant something was wrong.

"Delirious, don't think about that, please. I don't want you going through that thought process again." Cartoonz said quickly. He said it a little loudly, which made Mark look behind him at them with a furrowed brow.

Delirious sighed. "I know," he said. "And I apologize."

Mark was uncertain, but he looked forward again and looked around him and the other two for a possible exit. How the building was so large that they couldn't ever find an exit right away was astounding. It was almost as though the Asylum were trying to keep them locked inside forever.

Was it?

"Hey, Mark, I think there's a way out down there." Cartoonz said suddenly, making Mark turn to see him pointing towards a long staircase going to the first floor.

Of course there would be a way out from the first floor, but this staircase went past the first floor and straight to the basement. Mark didn't want to let Delirious and Cartoonz see that freezing horror, so he quickly veered off the steps the first chance he could, hopping down to the first floor. Cartoonz jumped off and then turned to help Delirious down. He couldn't exactly jump down, as the fall was at least two meters or more, and the possibility of the impact affecting Delirious through his shoulder was something Cartoonz wasn't taking the chance of.

"I'm fine, Cartoonz. I got it!" Delirious insisted.

Cartoonz flinched away from him, but helped steady Delirious when he wobbled after landing.

Mark continued walking. He finally found a window and practically dove through it, glad to finally be outside again. Even though the outdoors were actually a little worse than the indoors, he was just relieved to have finally escaped those echoing stone hallways. Mark waited as Delirious and Cartoonz came outside, and then there was a short moment where they all stood awkwardly.

"We should find Avery." Delirious stated, moving forward.

Cartoonz didn't say anything and followed Delirious with Mark just feet behind him. It was nerve-wracking, how the forest gave off of spooky feel, making Cartoonz shake with fear. Delirious wasn't noticing him shaking, but Mark most certainly was.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked, keeping his voice low so Delirious didn't turn around.

"Yeah, I think so," Cartoonz answered as honestly as he could. "I don't know what it is, but I guess it's just the feel of this forest. Shit gives me the creeps."

Mark nodded, puffing air through his nose. "I can totally agree with that. I don't like it either." He said.

Cartoonz sighed. "I really just want to go home right now, but I'm afraid of what I'll find when I get there. When we finally escape this hellhole."

"You're afraid of what happened in the accident, you mean?" Mark guessed.

Cartoonz nodded. "I mean, I barely remember ever even leaving the hospital let alone getting into a car accident. It was all really just a blur," he thought for a moment. "Too much information to take in all at once. It was so overwhelming that-"

"That you couldn't handle it?" Mark finished for him. "Yeah, I've got a rough idea of what you're going through." He said. They walked on for a bit, watching as Delirious looked around the area carefully for any sign of something. "How much do you care about him?" Mark asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Cartoonz realized that Mark was talking about Delirious, but he wasn't sure what exactly he might. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, Jack. . . had this thought that there might be something going on between you two. He said that he personally thought it was something more than a simple friendship." Mark explained.

"Oh," Cartoonz wasn't sure how to answer. "I. . . Well, I've known Delirious for nearly eighteen years."

Mark's eyebrows inched upward. "Wow, that's a long time." He said, seeming just slightly impressed. "But wait, he's only twenty-nine, though, right? That would mean. . . since he was like fourteen or something!?"

"Yep," Cartoonz admitted. "We both met through his sister, whom I was dating for a while." He followed Delirious with his eye as he examined something on the ground. "But now I really just want him-"

Mark didn't let Cartoonz finish, for he had a sudden urge to just break down the wall of secrets. "You love him, don't you?" He interrupted. "And I don't mean as a close friend. I mean like, really really love him."

Cartoonz paused and looked at Mark for a moment. He was about to say something when Delirious called out suddenly, "Hey, I recognize this area!"

Mark and Cartoonz turned to watch him run off.

"Hey, Delirious, wait up!" Cartoonz called after him, running to catch up with Mark just behind him.

Delirious didn't actually stop running until he came upon the one thing he was looking for; it was the first generator he came across not long after waking up on the map. It was barely running at all, but that was guessable.

"Why is it running?" Mark asked.

"Is this that generator you found?" Cartoonz guessed.

"How'd you know I found a generator?" Delirious turned to Cartoonz suspiciously.

Cartoonz shrugged. "Well, it's just barely running, and you aren't entirely useless when it comes to fixing these damned machines. So, I just figured you had found it at some point."

Delirious' eyes narrowed, scanning Cartoonz's face for a moment. "Okay, whatever."

Delirious stood aside to let Cartoonz and Mark finish the generator. While they were doing that, he kept an eye out for The Nurse and for Avery as well. It wasn't until a cool breeze blew in his face that he realized just how stuffy his mask could get if he wore it for so long.

 _Geez, what the hell have I been doing?_ He wondered to himself.

Delirious sighed and leaned back against the tree he was standing by. Over by the generator, Cartoonz was thinking about what Mark had asked him earlier. He'd never gotten the chance to actually answer because Delirious had recognized the area and shouted about it.

"Hey, Mark?" Cartoonz began. Mark made a noise that signaled he was listening. "I never answered your question from earlier." There was a second of silence. "Or, actually, I never got the chance to. But. . . yeah, I do." He said at last.

Mark didn't say anything for a moment, as he was thinking up a response. "I can guess that he feels the same way?"

"Yeah," Cartoonz said. "It came as a surprise to him, though. I just didn't know any other time to finally confess. I mean, he was all emotional and practically breaking down right there in front of me, so. . . I took the chance."

"I wish I had taken the chance I got sooner." Mark's voice was quiet and Cartoonz barely heard it over the loud rumbling of the generator.

"To tell Jack, I assume?" Cartoonz guessed.

Mark didn't say anything else, and Cartoonz let it go. The light finally came on and they stood. Delirious was looking back at them, the bag at his feet.

"Alright, let's just get the fuck outta here. Probably could head back to where we were separated. I mean, there is a generator down there, after all." Delirious said.

He went to pick up the bag, but Mark got to it first. Delirious didn't argue and walked next to Cartoonz as they left the generator behind them. It was a bit confusing on how they never once heard The Nurse's screech after fixing the generator. If she wasn't coming, then she was busy with something else. Something else that could most likely be Avery, and Cartoonz could sense tension coming from Delirious as they walked towards a hook.

Mark, having watched Delirious set one on fire, knew what to do and started following the few simple steps that Delirious took to set fire to the entire contraption. Delirious watched quietly, and he didn't even realize that he was going stiff until Cartoonz wrapped and arm around his shoulders.

"Hey, you're holding your breath," Cartoonz said. Delirious realized he was right and let out a puff of air. "I'm sure that Avery is fine, Del. She can handle herself."

Delirious knew well enough that Cartoonz was just trying to reassure him, but he was still weary. "I know that, but. . ." Delirious sighed heavily as the hook burst into flame in front of them.

"That was the last of the stuff, by the way." Mark told them after coming over. "We're gonna want to be more careful now."

"Yeah, but at least some of the hooks have been destroyed," Delirious said. "We won't have to worry about those ones now."

With no point in carrying around the small bag anymore, Delirious gave Cartoonz his mask and he fastened it around his arm before they continued. Once again, Delirious was recognizing the area, and then he started following a familiar path. It led them to the gate, which Cartoonz felt over relieved to see. At least they knew where their escape route was now.

"I think I might be able to get us back to the generator from here," Delirious stated. "I was sort of paying attention to where I was going after we split up and retreated." He looked back in the direction of the generator, thinking about what might be an easy way back.

"If we walk along the wall, we should come across at some point, right?" Cartoonz tried suggesting, but Delirious shook his head.

"We might go too far past it. I don't really want to get lost at all."

Cartoonz could understand that, so he went with following Delirious through the forest towards the generator. Or, hopefully they were heading towards the generator.

 _I trust him,_ Cartoonz told himself. He didn't know why, by his head wasn't listening to his heart. He loved Jonathan and would trust him with his life if he had to, but for some reason his head was telling him something else. Cartoonz eventually forced himself to settle on it just being the fear of losing sight of the gate, their only way out other than the hatch. But there was only one generator left, and once it was repaired, the gate could be opened and they would finally be out of this hell-hole. _We'll have to find Avery first, though._ Cartoonz remembered.

As they walked, the forest was growing darker and slowly hotter. When a gust of wind blew in from across the map, it carried with it the smell of smoke and hint of ash. Was the forest catching on fire again? That. . . wouldn't be good. If that was the case, then they better find Avery and that generator and get the hell out. And fast.

"There it is! I see it! . . . I think?" Delirious shouted suddenly. "Wait, generators don't move."

Cartoonz felt his gut twist with fear. Was it The Nurse? No. . . it was Avery!


	42. Desperate Search

_**Today's chapter is a bit short, sorry about that.**_

* * *

Avery stared at the message carved into the bark of the dead tree. This must have been made before Mark had snapped, so. . . just how hard had he been taking Jack's death? Really hard, from what occurred. There was the chance that Mark was still suffering, even though his episode had already passed and was over. If finding the others hadn't been important before, it sure was now.

Avery thought back to the path she traveled to get to this point, and then figured out which direction she should head. She didn't know where to start, so she decided to search while heading back to where they'd split. When she found the Asylum, from there she would try finding that generator again.

Avery passed the hook again and kept walking, though she would occasionally look around for signs of the others. Or The Nurse. She finally spotted the gray wall and ran towards the building, where she started following the wall around to the other side. She would look in the windows and occasionally climb through one to investigate a little of the inner Asylum. She didn't particularly like the state the building was in after the fire and years of abandonment.

When Avery left the building again, this time through a doorway, she spotted something gleaming and went over to investigate. It was just another hook, but there was something different about.

 _Why is it that there's always something different about it?_ Avery wondered.

What she found was different, was that the hook was tipped with blood. And it was still fairly fresh. Was someone else. . . dead?

"No, there doesn't look to be nearly enough blood, and the ground doesn't look stained, either," Avery observed. The ground was all sand around this one hook, and it looked clean. "Is anyone around here?" Avery called out.

There was no answer, so she started moving in the direction she was sure the generator was in, this time a little faster. What got her going in the right direction was a shout.

"There it is!"

Avery couldn't recognize the voice right away, but she hurried towards it.


	43. Breaking Point

_**Yeah, hey. I've changed my username . . . again. I'm pretty sure that this one will stick, though. For a fairly long time, too. But I'll try not to speak too soon.**_

* * *

"Hey, you guys! There you are!" Avery's voice called to them. She appeared out of nowhere and ran up to the three. "I was looking everywhere for you guys. I thought I might find you here, and it looks like I did."

"I'm glad you're alright, Avery," Delirious said.

Avery looked at him. "I wish I could say the same," she said, looking at the bandage around Delirious' head. "What happened to you? Nurse?" She guessed.

Delirious nodded. "And it looks like I'm not the only one."

Avery suddenly remembered the injury she'd received on her side. She covered it with her hand.

"It's nothing anymore. Was anyone else injured besides Mark over there? And what happened exactly?" Avery asked.

"I fell into a hole," Mark explained.

"Hooked," Cartoonz said. "Well, almost." He added.

"Oh, so that explains the blood on that other hook I passed earlier," Avery realized.

Cartoonz nodded. "Tore my jacket open, but otherwise left me with nothing but a simple scratch." He said.

"Wait, hold on," Delirious suddenly looked offended. "How come you get to say your injuries are minor and nothing to worry about, when I could get nothing but a small cut and you make a big deal out of it?!"

Cartoonz gave a harsh sigh. "That's not at all what it is, Delirious," He rolled his eyes towards him.

Delirious just glared at Cartoonz with half closed eyes.

"Let's not worry about that," Mark said suddenly. "I'm sure you guys would be able to sort out those issues once we _get out of here._ "

Cartoonz and Delirious jumped a little at Mark's hard tone, and even Avery was a little startled. But they moved over to the generator in silence, and Mark was immediately repairing it. All four sides were open, so all four of them were working on the machine.

 _He wants to leave real badly,_ Avery thought.

They all did, but Avery couldn't recall ever seeing Mark like this on anyone's channel or in the time she'd spent with him. Losing Jack had badly affected him, and Avery felt pangs of guilt each time she thought about it.

Delirious hadn't liked Mark's sudden and slightly strange outburst at all. It had startled him, and it was the sudden flash of anger that was visible in Mark's eyes when he'd spoken that left Delirious a little worried.

Cartoonz was just trying not to think about what Mark had said and how. He was thinking more about how they were _finally getting out of this hellhole_. Figuring out what would happen afterwards wouldn't do much until he knew for sure what to expect. Obviously, medical bills were something to worry about, but Cartoonz wasn't concerning himself with that matter at the moment.

The blinding white light came on above them and a loud ringing filled the trees. The gate was operable, and their escape was attainable.

But not easily.

Not long after Mark, Avery, Cartoonz, and Delirious started heading back to the gate, The Nurse found them. She attack suddenly and blindly. Mark was the one who took the hit, and he was knocked to the ground.

"Hey, Sally, over here!" Avery cried, running away from the others.

This was all too familiar to Delirious, and he wasn't going to let it happen all over again. Mark hurt, Avery distracting the killer, getting to safety and leaving her behind. It all happened on Autohaven Wrecker's, and Avery went missing then, but Delirious wasn't letting it happen again.

He ran after Avery.

"Delirious, where are you-" Cartoonz started saying, but Delirious and Avery were gone.

He had no choice but to help Mark off the ground and bring him to the gate. He had to support him, as Mark had been hit in the leg.

"This feels familiar," Mark grunted.

"Familiar, how?" Cartoonz asked as he half dragged Mark through the trees.

"You wouldn't know how. You weren't there. But something like this occurred on the first map we played on. Autohaven Wrecker's," Mark explained.

"That's the junkyard, isn't it?" Cartoonz asked.

"Yeah," Mark said. "Quite the dramatic occurrence, to be honest."

It took a bit, but Cartoonz and Mark finally made it back to the gate. Mark tried standing on his own and kept a lookout for Delirious and Avery while Cartoonz held the lever down to open the gate. The clicking of the gears inside the door was loud and obvious, and then there was another ring and the door opened with a loud creak of metal.

* * *

"Delirious, where-"

Cartoonz's voice disappeared as Delirious ran after Avery. He and Mark could now escape, but Avery had taken off and Delirious wasn't leaving without knowing she could escape as well. He felt a weird responsibility for her, just like he had for his sister all those years ago. He followed Avery all the way back to the hook where Cartoonz had almost died, and he joined her in the bushes.

The Nurse had followed them, like Avery had hoped, but she was startled when Delirious appeared beside her in the tiny branches. The Nurse was scowling around the area, looking for the two "patients" that had escaped her.

"Why did you follow me?" Avery asked Delirious as quietly as she could, but loud enough so that he could still hear her.

"I didn't want a repeat of what happened on Autohaven Wrecker's," Delirious explained. "I'm not leaving until I know that no one's been left behind."

Avery waited a moment, and then she gave a silent nod. Waiting until The Nurse had teleported away, Delirious and Avery took off for the gate again to meet up with Cartoonz and Mark.

"Mark, are you okay?" Avery asked immediately when they reached the gate.

"Yeah," Mark said, nodding.

"The Nurse. . . ?" Cartoonz looked between Delirious and Avery.

"Distracted for now, I believe," Avery said.

An awkward silence passed between the four.

 _We're finally getting out of here_ , Avery thought. She wondered what was going on back home; what had happened.

Her thoughts had been wrong, fore when the group went to leave, a screech filled their ears. The Nurse popped up out of nowhere and grabbed Avery, and before Mark, Cartoonz, or Delirious knew what happened, she was gone.

"She took her!" Delirious gasped, running forward a few feet in the direction The Nurse teleported away in. "We have to go after them!" Delirious looked back at Cartoonz and Mark before taking off after The Nurse to rescue Avery.

"Delirious!" Cartoonz cried after him.

Delirious kept running and eventually disappeared into the trees. Cartoonz started to go after him, but then he realized that Mark was trying to follow him.

"Mark, you should just get out of here," Cartoonz said. "The gate is open, your escape is easy."

"No, I'm not going anywhere unless I know that the rest of you get out safely, too." Mark claimed, standing up straight.

"No, I'm serious, Mark! You're injured and should really just get the hell of here. Go home already. I can take care of rescuing Delirious and Avery myself." Cartoonz explained rapidly.

"I'm-" Mark began.

"I'm really sorry about this, Mark." Cartoonz interrupted. He grabbed Mark and pushed him over to the gate and tossed him through the barrier.

Mark was safely out of the game.

With Mark permanently safe from the harm of _Dead By Daylight,_ Cartoonz took off after Delirious. He didn't run for very long, and when he finally caught up to Delirious, he found that Avery was in dire need of help. The Nurse was just about to throw her onto a hook. Delirious suddenly charged forward and attacked The Nurse, pushing her over a little. Avery was dropped and she ran from the danger. Avery was temporarily safe, but Delirious had just put himself in danger.

"Avery, over here!" Cartoonz called to the younger girl. She ran over and crouched down by Cartoonz. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, but Delirious isn't!" Avery gasped.

Cartoonz jumped to his feet and ran over to assist Delirious, but then at the last second his foot was caught in something and he fell forward.

"Cartoonz!" Avery cried.

Delirious looked over for a second and his eyes widened at the still form of Cartoonz lying on the ground. However, the quick glance had him distracted and The Nurse got a hold of him. He tried to fight back, but that only made The Nurse angry and she swung her saw at him.

Cartoonz had been stunned when his head had hit the ground, and when he came back into focus, he saw that Delirious was still in danger. His foot was caught in something and he couldn't actually get up. Then he saw The Nurse swing her saw at Delirious.

"Delirious!" Cartoonz cried when the saw made contact with his head.

The Nurse threw Delirious aside, and he tumbled over the ground, landing just a few feet in front of Cartoonz.

"Delirious?" Cartoonz tried to reach for him, but he was just out of reach.

Delirious lay still, but since he was still breathing, so he was only knocked unconscious. Then, The Nurse started to glide back towards them and Cartoonz began to panic. He tried desperately to reach Delirious so he could hold on to him before The Nurse would be able to pick him up, but again he was just out of reach, and when Cartoonz tried dragging himself closer to Delirious, the pull on his foot caused him pain. He yelped and stopped moving.

But The Nurse didn't. She continued getting closer and closer, and Cartoonz was beginning to think that it was over with for them both. And then suddenly, Avery was in front of him and Delirious.

"NO! LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Avery shouted.

Cartoonz froze and stared up at her in shock. Avery was protecting them.

"You leave these two men alone, Sally. Okay?" Avery said. "They did nothing wrong. They did nothing to you. I don't know what your motives are, but if anyone is to die, it's me."

"Avery!" Cartoonz gasped, trying to free himself.

"No, Cartoonz!" Avery stopped him. "I say that I'm the one who should die because I'm the reason we're all in this mess in the first place. All of this . . . Jack's death, Delirious' disability, and all the other injuries that Cartoonz and Mark had received. So, I'm begging you, Sally . . . leave them alone. Let them go free and take me instead." Avery looked at The Nurse with desperate eyes.

"Avery! Don't do this! You don't deserve this fate!" Cartoonz protested. "Don't just give yourself up for us!" He pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Cartoonz. But it's to protect you." Avery said softly behind her at the trapped man.

The Nurse was still for a minute, watching Avery intently. She finally reached out and grabbed Avery's arm and led her away from Cartoonz and Delirious and towards the hook again. Once beneath the menacing object, Cartoonz could only watch with horror as Avery braced herself when The Nurse picked her up. He expected a scream, but there wasn't one.


	44. Not What Was Wanted

**_Okay, so I'm hoping to have Part 5 up and going by April 10th, but I'm not entirely sure. I'm not quite done writing Part 5, but I am trying my hardest. Unfortunately, if Part 5 doesn't come out on the 10th of April, then it likely won't be out until May. Unless I can finish it at a certain time and figure out a schedule to fit however many days are left of the month._**

 ** _Sorry about that (and this chapter)_**

* * *

Cartoonz continued to struggle after Avery was thrown on the hook. He was desperately trying to get himself free from whatever had him stuck in the first place. He needed to save Avery and grab Delirious and then get the hell out of there. But his struggling was pointless. Cartoonz stopped when the spider creature appeared around Avery and she didn't even struggle. The claw-like thing stabbed itself right through her chest, and Avery went limp.

She was dead.

Cartoonz watched as she disappeared into the sky, and then his attention was brought back to The Nurse when she came towards him and Delirious again. Again Cartoonz tried to grab Delirious first, and again he was still out of reach. But then Cartoonz thought that The Nurse was going for him first when she bent over and went to grab him. But instead of grabbing him, she set him free. Cartoonz stared at The Nurse as she stared back at him. Then, she teleported away.

"What the . . . ?" Cartoonz was at a loss.

Avery had just been killed, but The Nurse had followed her pleads and was letting him and Delirious go. Not taking any chances, Cartoonz grabbed Delirious and carried him back to the gate. It took a while, since Delirious was surprisingly heavy. Once he reached the gate, he waited for Delirious to wake up.

What must have been nearly an hour later, Delirious stirred and slowly sat up. He looked around all confused and then he saw Cartoonz. Looking around again, Delirious suddenly looked concerned.

"Uh, Cartoonz? Where . . . where are Mark and Avery?" He asked.

"Mark has already escaped the game," Cartoonz began explaining. He hesitated on the next part.

"And Avery?" Delirious prompted.

"Avery . . . she didn't make it out." Cartoonz said regretfully. "She's dead."

Delirious' eyes widened. "WHAT?!" He almost got to his feet. "No, I don't believe you!"

"I know that you don't want to, Delirious," Cartoonz said. "But it's unfortunately true."

Cartoonz then began explaining to Delirious everything that happened after he'd been knocked unconscious. The way that his face fell saddened Cartoonz quite a bit, but he couldn't do anything about the truth.

"I can't believe that she's actually gone . . ." Delirious said breathlessly after he was finally forced to accept the reality.

"I know and I'm sorry, man." Cartoonz said dully.

"I . . . it's . . . fine, I guess." Delirious mumbled, looking gloomy.

He stood up and started for the barrier. Cartoonz followed him. Finally, they were free from the nightmare.


	45. Waking Recovery

_**All right, so, I don't actually have all of Part 5 finished, as I've been busy working on another story or two. I'll be publishing these chapters either random, one every single day, or whenever the heck I can. There was supposed to be ten or eleven chapters, but I've shortened it up and am trying to throw together the final chapter.**_

* * *

 **Part 5**

 **A Waking Dream**

* * *

Now that they had finally escaped the game, what would occur after waking up? Getting out of the hospital? What will change? What's already different?

* * *

 **Delirious & CaRtOoNz**

After Luke was in the car accident, the person who had crashed into him phoned an ambulance as soon as they realized how dire the situation was. He was soon rushed to the hospital and an emergency surgery was performed. Once Luke was stabilized, he was [unfortunately] diagnosed to be in a coma.

It was the next day that Jonathan's sister was able to visit. After she'd gotten word of what happened to her little brother, she was in a hurry to get back home from across the country. When she got to the hospital, she was told about her brother's condition, and then she found out about Luke as well. They may have broken up, but somehow she and Luke had managed to remain at least friends, so she worried for both.

And then, when nearly a week had passed, Jonathan [and Luke] woke up.

Jonathan slowly came back, and at first, everything around him was really blurry. But when his eyes focused, he was able to look around the room a little and saw his sister in a chair by the wall. Her elbow was propped up on the arm of the chair, and her head was resting in her hand. Her eyes were closed, so she didn't know her brother was awake yet.

It was a bit startling to see his sister here, but Jonathan was glad she was. After all of the occurrences that reminded him strangely of things that happened in his childhood, especially with his sister, Jonathan had actually wanted to see her again, even though they had argued years ago and hadn't seen each other since.

Jonathan got his sister to notice that he was now awake, and she was practically a mess of tears. Jonathan had never seen her so emotional before (other than when she got her first period).

It was some time before a doctor came in and Jonathan was given a rather detailed report of his injuries, and then just as the doctor was leaving, he remembered Luke.

"What about my friend?" Jonathan asked.

The doctor paused and looked back at him. "I'm sorry?"

"My friend, Luke. Patterson?" Jonathan said.

The doctor looked thoroughly startled, being unable to figure out how Jonathan knew that Luke was also there.

"I-I will check in on him, if that's what you want?" The doctor guessed.

"Yes," Jonathan nodded. "I want to see him, if that's possible, too."

"Well, I'm afraid that can't happen until we're sure you're strong enough to get up, Mr. Dennis." The doctor explained.

Jonathan didn't like the answer, but he had to deal with it.

Meanwhile, Luke had also woken up. He felt much worse than the second before he escaped the game, but that was to be expected. He'd been in a car crash about . . . How long ago was it? From what Luke could tell, he had a cast on both his arms and left leg, his chest was a little sore, and he couldn't actually move. At least, not by much. He was able to look around the room a little bit, but that was just about all he could do.

Things were better situated, and when the small mobility tests Jonathan was given to counteract his shoulder injury had been enough to give the approval for him to finally see Luke, he honestly didn't know what to expect.

"Jesus Christ!" Jonathan said breathlessly when he entered the room.

"I look horrible, I know," Luke admitted. "Don't rub it in on me, man."

"I wasn't going to," Jonathan said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to the bed. "I'm just a little . . . concerned, I guess."

"How long have we been in here, exactly?" Luke asked.

"What? No one would tell you that?" Jonathan sounded puzzled.

"No," Luke admitted.

"Oh," Jonathan tried to recall what date he'd seen earlier. "Uh, I believe it's the 26th?" Jonathan was clearly guessing. "I might be a bit off, though."

Luke's eyes widened. "Holy shit! That's like, a week for me." He said.

"Say what?" Jonathan looked at him.

"If you're correct on the date, then you've been here for more than a week. Maybe two days over," Luke said.

"Didn't I say I could be off?" Jonathan reminded him.

"I heard what you said, Jon," Luke stated.

"Okay, well, if that's true, then what about everything else?" Jonathan asked.

"You're talking about our channels, I'm assuming?" Luke guessed.

"Yeah," Jonathan looked awkwardly to the side.

"Well, obviously you're the one who's getting out first, just considering what state I'm in at the moment," Luke huffed. "Ouch." He said suddenly.

"Too hard a breath?" Jonathan teased lightly.

"Shut up," Luke rolled his eyes.

"I guess that I'll be the one to explain everything, won't I? If I am out of here first, that is?" Jonathan said.

"Yeah, just don't go crazy," Luke suggested.

"Yeah, I know. We don't want anyone too worried about us." Jonathan chuckled. "Other than that, how do you think Mark is doing right now?"

"That's a good question," Luke's brow furrowed in thought. "He'll probably be out before you. Depends on what state he was in."

"Yeah, it does. I'll talk to him when I can." Jonathan promised.

* * *

When it had been almost two weeks since Jonathan was first admitted to the hospital, he was finally discharged. His sister gave him the ride home, obviously stopping by Luke's place first so he could get his dog. It was great to be reunited with Spike, and Spike was obviously happy to see his owner again. This was proven by the mass amounts of face licks Jonathan received.

Once at home again, he was getting things set up to record a quick video, but only after he'd gotten Spike fed and watered properly (drinking from a toilet doesn't count). Jonathan thought for some time about what he was going to say before he finally got it.

"Hey, guys, H2ODelirious here. I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything in awhile, it's just that something came up and it kept me from getting some videos up for you for the past two weeks. It's all good, now, though, so I should be posting new stuff, hopefully by tomorrow. I also have to mention Cartoonz's inactivity and I'll explain that. Um, some time last week, he was in an accident and was in a coma for a few days. He's awake and fine now, though, so don't worry about that. He's currently still in the hospital, but I believe that he should be discharged soon, so I appreciate the patience that you guys have."

There were a few other things that Jonathan said before he stopped recording. He put it on YouTube and shared the video to Twitter, adding "Sorry about the inactivity" to the tweet before he posted it. It wasn't long before there were a ton of replies and views. It was also no surprise to Jonathan when his Skype almost exploded.

"DELIRIOUS! Oh my god, you're okay!"

Jonathan was a little startled by Evan when he answered the call.

Bryce, Ryan, Craig, Brock, Brian, and a bunch of the other guys were soon joined into the call as well. Jonathan explained things a little more thoroughly to them so that they understood a little a more of what had happened. Of course, he never told them the full truth behind his coma, because that might make him sound crazier than he [supposedly] already was.

"When Cartoonz . . . er, Luke told us that you were in a coma, we got pretty worried. It was really startling," Craig was saying.

"Yeah, and then when he suddenly stopped answering-" Bryce began.

"I'ma stop you there, Bryce," Brock interrupted. "How is he, exactly?" He asked.

"Fine right now, I guess. Other than a few obvious injuries," Jonathan said.

There was a silence.

"Well, at least the two of you are alive, right?" Marcel put in.

Jonathan huffed lightly. "Yeah."

* * *

 **Mark**

After the new injury appeared on mark's back and shoulder, his brother got thoroughly concerned. He thought that there was something weird going on, and most certainly wasn't expecting Mark to wake up fifteen minutes later.

"Mark!" Jason gasped when Mark almost flew up into a sitting position.

Mark coughed a few times, but when he recovered he recognized his brother and quickly realized that he was back home. He was a little confused for a moment, though, because he didn't remember leaving _Dead By Daylight_. Wait a minute . . . Cartoonz had pushed him out! But then . . . what happened to him, Delirious, and Avery?

"Tom . . ." Mark stared at his brother in slight shock.

"What?"

"How long has it been?" Mark asked.

"Almost seven days, if you're asking how long you were out for," Jason answered.

 _Seven days,_ Mark thought. _That's actually not as long as I was thinking._

"What . . . happened?" Jason asked, bringing his brother's attention back to him. "Like, to you?" He clarified.

"Uh," Mark wasn't sure how to answer. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He said.

Jason didn't press him. Instead, he left the room for a moment and came back with a doctor. Mark was assessed and was a little surprised to find that considering what he'd just gone through, he wasn't in too bad condition.

"We'll keep you here overnight, yet, just to see how you do. Then we'll consider getting you discharged," The doctor said.

That's what happened. Mark spent the night, though throughout most of it he lay awake, thinking about the others. He would continue to worry until he found out what happened to them or even heard from them, which, quite honestly, would be much better than simply finding out.

When Mark was discharged a couple hours after noon the next day, Jason was the one to take him home.

"I've been staying at your place, by the way," Jason said. "Taking care of your dog. She's real sweet."

"Isn't she?" Mark replied as he stared out the car window, watching the houses pass by.

When Jason pulled into the driveway of his, Mark was tapping his fingers nervously, though he couldn't figure out why.

"Hey, Chica!" Mark was on his knees in seconds when he was greeted by his dog, obviously excited to see him. "Sorry that I kind of left you for a bit there."

Jason helped Mark get situated, and agreed to stay a little longer when Mark asked it of him. He then went to upload a video to apologize for his inactivity, and was soon reading a gazillion comments.

"Busy much?" Jason teased him.

"Not my fault I'm famous," Mark grumbled in amusement. "Somehow, I'm just really popular."

* * *

In his apology video, Mark had promised new content, and that's exactly what the fans got. Over the next few days, Mark was getting back into what he did before the entire ordeal again, but he was a bit confused when no one was asking or saying anything about Jack. He wondered if they even knew about his death yet.

He got his answer a week after getting out of the hospital.

Mark was just playing some Prop Hunt with Bob and Wade when they came across a strange prop and then started messing around. Wade was the one who made a joke that made Mark's heart hurt. As a reminder of Jack's death.

"Oh, yeah, Mark, do you know about what happened to him?" Bob asked.

"What happened to him?" Mark repeated, his voice hollow. "You mean that he's-"

"In a coma," Bob finished for him.

Mark paused. "What?"

"Yeah," Wade nodded. "He has been the past two weeks, now. I'm honestly a tad worried at this point."

 _Wait . . ._ Mark was confused. They weren't saying anything about . . . He was still just in a coma? _Then, that means . . . !_

Jack was still alive.


	46. Unexpected Miracle

"So, wait, Jack is still alive?" Mark blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Uh, I would think so?" Bob was a little confused by Mark's reaction.

Mark's heart skipped a beat or two and he stared at his computer screen in shock.

"Mark?" Wade said, trying to bring Mark back down to earth.

Mark was suddenly thinking quickly, and he made a quick decision he knew he wouldn't change.

"I . . . I gotta go. Sorry, guys. I'll message you both later, though," Mark apologized before he left the game and the call.

It took a few minutes, but Mark was soon ready to take off for Ireland. He caught a flight across the country, and by the time he landed, it was mid-afternoon. Messaging Matt about what he was doing and where he was going, Mark asked him to take care of Chica for while he was gone, since Jason had already left.

It was a long flight to Ireland, and the sky grew darker as the plane made its way over the Atlantic. Mark couldn't seem to sleep, though. For what seemed like ages, he'd believed that Jack was dead. Finding out he wasn't was a huge relief, but it also worried him greatly. Mark didn't know yet what state Jack had been left in after the game, so he was nervous about what he'd find.

And there was good reason for it.

* * *

Before he took off, Mark had been able to contact Jack's parents, and they knew him a little bit, so they were willing to get him from the airport. They helped him out and gave him what information he would need, mainly about getting around town and all that. It was pretty early when he arrived, so he crashed for a bit at their place until they said that the hospitals would be allowing visitors. That's when he went to go finally see Jack. He was nervous as he walked up to the front of the hospital that Jack's parents said he was in, and was wondering what it was he would find.

After signing in for visiting hours, Mark found the room in question and stood anxiously outside the door. He took a deep breath before walking inside the small room. Jack was still in a coma, but his otherwise physical condition didn't look great. His right leg was covered in a fairly thick cast, and Mark could only assume that there was heavy bandaging around his stomach underneath the hospital gown. Jack looked so pale in the dim lighting, yet so at peace. But it was the thought of what he'd gone through that made Mark believe that he wasn't truly at peace. If anything, he was trapped inside his own mind.

Seeing that Jack was still alive was a huge relief for Mark, but it was the fact that he was still in a coma that made him wonder; would Jack ever wake up? He hadn't escaped the game, after all, so did that mean that he would forever remain in a comatose state?

* * *

Mark had spent most of the day at the hospital with Jack, but when he left, he went to Jack's apartment. Jack's parents had given him a spare key, so he was able to get in. After he arrived at the apartment in question, he shut the door behind him quietly before taking a good look around. The place was pretty clean for no one having actually been there in about half a month, and the decorative objects and were placed so that the room had a homey feeling to it. It helped Mark get comfortable quickly, but there would always be that nagging thought that he was currently the only one there and that the one person who could easily chase away the quietness of the apartment was yet missing from the room.

Mark explored the apartment a little after placing his suitcase by the couch in the TV room. He shut the bedroom door so that he wouldn't be tempted to take a look at what Jack kept in his room before heading back to his stuff. Mark got his laptop set up and was a little startled to find that Jack didn't actually have an internet password. But it made things all the easier. There were some notifications on Twitter, which Mark went through quickly, and then he went to his YouTube.

As time passed and it was getting late, Mark grew bored. He was just getting ready to call it a night when there was a new notification on YouTube. Taking a look, Mark found that it was a private message and was a little surprised when he saw who had sent it. He didn't know why he was startled by the fact that Delirious wanted to talk to him at all through something. Opening it up, Mark began to read.

 _Hey, Mark. I would have contacted you sooner, but I'm sure you understand why I didn't with hospital troubles and all. I was actually hoping to keep in touch with you, so I decided to send you a message asking if we could or not. I mean, we went through a lot in Dead By Daylight and I was just thinking that we could keep some kind of friendship going on._  
 _Reply when you can._

Mark quickly typed in his reply, adding his Skype information to it as well before sending the message to Delirious. It was a minute or two before Skype automatically activated with a friend request. Accepting it, Mark waited to see if Delirious would call him. He answered quickly when the call did come.

"Hey, Delirious," Mark said when the call started up properly.

"Hey, Mark," Jonathan replied. "Sorry about the sudden contact if you were busy or whatever time frame you've got over there."

Mark shrugged. "It's kinda late right now, but then again, I am halfway across the world."

Jonathan's face contorted to a confused expression. "What? I thought you lived in L.A. or some shit?" he said.

"Yeah, no. I'm actually in Ireland right now," Mark explained. Then he suddenly realized that Delirious didn't know about Jack yet. "Hey, Delirious-" he began.

"You can call me Jonathan, if you want," Jonathan interrupted quickly.

"Right," Mark noted. "Hey, I've learned something that might appeal to you as great news," he started again.

"What?" Jonathan asked, a little curious.

"As it turns out, Jack is still alive," Mark stated.

Jonathan's expression was written over with shock. "What?! How?!" he gasped.

Mark shrugged. "I don't know, but it might have something to do with the fact that he was never officially killed," he guessed. "Like, put on a hook or whatever." he added.

Mark noticed the second long glance Jonathan gave his left arm, which was in a swing. But he seemed to have pushed the thoughts aside as he replied, "Well, that's definitely some good news."

"How did you and Cartoonz manage after I got thrown out?" Mark asked.

"Oh yeah, Luke did tell me that he forced you out of the game," Jonathan recalled. "We got out fine, though," he said. "Just . . . not all of us." he added sadly.

Mark was immediately concerned. "What? Who didn't get out?" he asked before putting two and two together. "Avery . . . ?"

Jonathan nodded after a moment. "Honestly, though, Luke and I wouldn't be alive right now if not for her," he stated. "I just wish that there was something that could have been done to save her, too."

Mark fell silent for a moment before deciding to change the subject off of Avery. "How is Car- . . . How is Luke doing?" he asked.

"Fine. Still in the hospital, though," Jonathan answered. "And the amount of complaints he makes about it makes me want to shut him up myself," he mused, chuckling lightly.

Mark laughed a little with him. They talked for some more time before finally saying goodbye, but only after promising each other that they would keep in touch. It wasn't long afterwards the Mark fell asleep.

* * *

Some time into the morning, as it was getting near noon, Mark left Jack's apartment. He went back to the hospital to sit with him, as he couldn't seem to get the Irishman off his mind. Especially when the moment they had kissed each other for the first time came back to him repeatedly. But now as Mark sat in the hospital, next to Jack's bed, he was thinking more about what he would say if Jack were to ever wake up. He was thinking about what he would tell him. Already, Jack knew that he loved him, but had he really caught all of the words Mark had said in his dying moments? Mark wondered about this a lot, and it was boring his mind to the point of dozing off.

He was just falling asleep when everything he'd been thinking about was about to all happen at once. There was a small noise from somewhere inside the room. Mark blinked and looked around before he caught slight movement in the corner of his eye. His gaze snapped back to Jack, and Mark held his breath. He felt his heart pick up a pace as he watched for a sign of consciousness from Jack. He saw it and was just about ready to cry as Jack slowly opened his eyes.

"Jack?" Mark said hopefully.

Jack looked around dazedly, before laying his gaze on Mark. His eyes widened when he saw him, and he looked almost panicked.

"Mark?" Jack's voice was dry and quiet from lack of use. "What . . . what happened?" he asked confusedly.

"I don't know, but it's some kind of miracle," Mark said simply.

"I don't understand, though," Jack looked around the room again for a moment. "I thought that . . ." he suddenly looked confused.

Mark sighed and looked down at his slightly trembling hands. "Jack, what do you last remember?" he asked, looking back up at him.

Jack was silent as he thought. "I . . . I remember . . . you," he answered. "Like, you were holding me and saying something, but then it was all black," A look of shock spread over Jack's face. "Wait, didn't I die?!" he sounded panicked and confused all at the same time.

Mark sighed again, heavily this time. "Yeah, you did. But somehow you're still alive," he said. "And that's what matters, Jack." Jack looked Mark straight in the eyes as though he were realizing something. "Jack, I don't know if you caught everything I'd said while you were dying, but I . . . I feel the same way about you, too."

Jack was suddenly crying a little and Mark moved quickly to wipe away the beginning tears. He called for a doctor afterwards and Jack was told about everything that had occurred to him during his coma. It was a first for Mark as well, and a bit of a shock for them both when the damage that had been done to Jack's leg was explained.

"If anything, I'm afraid you'll be left with a permanent limp," The doctor explained.

* * *

The days passed and Jack was finally discharged from the hospital practically a week later. Mark took him home and hated to admit that he was a little amused by Jack's reaction of finally being back inside his own home. After helping him get comfortable, Mark knew that he should tell Jack what had happened.

"Jack, I think I should tell you what happened after you . . . uh, died," Mark started.

Jack looked up at him from his spot on the couch. "What? Did something serious happen ta one of you?" he asked worriedly.

"Uh, yeah," Mark sighed. "Avery . . . didn't make it out."

Jack stared at him in silence for a couple of seconds, before, "She's dead?"

"Yeah," Mark put a hand behind his neck and looked at the floor.

"H2O and Cartoonz got out, though, right?" Jack asked nervously.

"Oh, yeah, they escaped fine," Mark answered quickly.

Jack thought for a moment. "I want ta put something up." he stated suddenly.

"Huh?" Mark looked at him, confused by what he meant.

"I want to post something on YouTube," Jack explained slowly. "It has been some time, hasn't it?"

"Oh, right," Mark was suddenly having issues getting things set up, but he managed and was a little surprised by how normal Jack seemed to act. _He must be doing it so not to cause any more concern than will already be sparked,_ Mark guessed.

Once they were done recording, the video was quickly uploaded after a quick editing. After it was published, Mark and Jack both watched as the views and responses to it quickly went up. Jack was going through a few of the replies while Mark was taking care of his own things on his laptop. Then Skype rang and Mark answered Jonathan quickly.

"Hey, you got discharged!" Mark said almost immediately when he realized that the second person on the screen was Cartoonz.

"Yeah, and it was about time," Luke snorted with slight distaste. "God, I hate hospitals." he muttered under his breath.

Jonathan rolled his eyes. "How many times are you going to repeat that?" he asked, looking at his friend, who simply shrugged.

"Hang on, there's someone else here who might want to talk to you two," Mark said before standing and picking up his laptop. He went down the hall to Jack's bedroom where he now lay on the bed with his arms spread out at his sides. "Hey, Jack?" Mark knocked on the door frame.

"What?" Jack looked up.

"Hey! Jon told me you were still alive, Jack. Any idea as to how?" Luke asked when Jack managed to sit up, with a little help from Mark.

"No," Jack answered as Mark set the laptop down on the bed. "I don't understand it, but honestly, I could care less about how. The fact that I'm still alive at all is beyond me, but I'm jus glad that I still am." he said.

"Did Mark tell you about Avery?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah, and it's really terrible. I mean, she was so young," Jack sighed.

"I didn't really like hearing about either, but like I told Mark, Luke and I probably wouldn't even be here anymore if not for her," Jonathan said.

"I don't know what The Nurse's reasons were, but she listened to Avery and let us go," Luke put in.

"Hey, how are ya guys doing, anyways?" Jack asked, changing the subject.

"Fine, other than feeling useless at the moment," Luke huffed. "Although I don't mind getting care from Jon right here," he said with a sly smile.

"Dude!" Jonathan exclaimed. "Would you not talk like that?!" he glared at his best friend.

Luke laughed lightly. Mark and Jack joined in a little, too, and then Jonathan turned a light shade of red. The four men talked heartily about a plethora of things, and even got to know each other a little more properly. It was bound to be a friendship to last.


	47. Playing Games

A month had passed since Mark was forced to return home by the lack of clothing he had packed, but he only left once he was sure that Jack could manage on his own once again. He'd been taking care of the Irish man the entire time, and Jack couldn't have had it any better.

Jonathan had been doing the same with Luke, ever since getting him home from the hospital. The only main difference was that there was a lot of appointment scheduling and other crap that they would have to deal with together. Jack had all of that by himself, and Mark was fine.

In the month that passed from Mark leaving Ireland, the four men became closer than they thought they could get, and soon, they were getting involved in each other's friendship groups. Already Mark and Jack and been introduced to Bryce and the others, while Jack and Ohm really just started talking again after a long time.

All in all, the recovery process for Jack, Jonathan, and Luke was going well, while Mark was just trying to erase the memories of everything that had happened inside _Dead By Daylight_. Now, he was back at home, sitting on his couch with Chica next to him. He was watching some reruns of _The Walking Dead_ , and was otherwise bored out of his mind. It was when his phone buzzed suddenly, causing the table to rattle a little, that he jumped a little at the sudden noise.

 _S- Want to join us for some gaming?_

Seeing the message from Jack sent Mark immediately to his feet and he was starting up his monitors in seconds.

 _M- Who's all playing?_

Mark waited for the reply as Skype opened up. It rang suddenly with a call, and he joined in.

"I guess that's my answer," he said to himself when he saw Bob, Wade, Jonathan, Luke, and of course Jack in the call.

"What was the question?" Bob asked with a light laugh.

"Hold on," Jack said and looked down. Mark figured out quickly that he was looking at his phone. "He asked who was all playing."

"Oh," Bob said.

"What are we playing?" Luke asked.

"Why don't we do Prop Hunt?" Wade suggested. "We haven't played in a while."

So, once the game was started up and everyone was joined in, Jonathan and Luke helped Wade and Bob get introduced to playing with Gmod, which they enjoyed greatly. They mostly messed around with the different skins, and thoroughly enjoyed playing Hide-N-Seek with it.

"Vanoss!" Wade shouted suddenly.

"What?" Jonathan turned his character around.

"Ha! I was right!" Wade cheered.

"Oh, are you trying to recognize people?" Bob asked.

"Trying to," Wade nodded.

"Hey, Jack," Luke started.

"What?"

"Come over here," Luke said, making his character jump repeatedly.

"Oh, nice hiding spot!" Jack exclaimed, rather surprised.

"They're somewhere, Mark!" Bob gasped dramatically.

"Well, obviously!" Mark pointed out.

"Hey, can I join you guys?" Wade asked, his character appearing by Jack's and Luke's.

Mark wandered around the map, looking for something suspiciously unnatural. Jonathan was secretly following him, but Bob picked up on his act.

"Mark! One of them is behind you!" Bob shouted.

"Oh shit!" Jonathan cried and made a run for it.

Mark spotted him quickly and fired at random.

BUMBUM eliminated H2O Delirious

"Damn it!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Uh, Jack, I think our cover is blown," Wade said suddenly.

"It will be if you say that!" Jack pointed out.

"I'm outta here!" Luke got up and ran, only to be killed a second later by Bob. "Shit!"

Bob quickly killed Jack and Wade afterwards. They continued to play games for hours, until it started getting late. Bob and Wade left the call some time around 10:00 pm, and the game session ended. Jonathan and Luke remained in the call for a few minutes after, though.

"How are things with you two?" Mark asked.

"Fine. Other than the fact that we're still dealing with annoying ass injuries," Luke said, his tone hinted with slight amusement.

"Why did you get away with no serious injuries, Mark?" Jonathan asked, grumbling a little in annoyance.

Mark shrugged. "Lucky, I guess," he said. "I do wish that I could say the same for all three of you, though." He added.

"Thanks, Mark." Luke sighed.

Jack was spacing out. He was recalling the times that he and Mark had had confessions. The first time, Mark had simply said it was another reason to protect him. The second time, Jack had been dying and was unable to understand anything Mark had been saying clearly. Then, the third time, in the hospital, Mark only said he felt the same. So, Jack was wondering when Mark would say, and so that he could hear it, that he loved him.

"Alright, you guys take care and we'll talk again soon," Mark's voice brought Jack from his thoughts in time to see Jonathan and Luke leave the call.

There was a silence that Jack and Mark shared for a minute or two.

"Jack," Mark began, breaking the quiet.

"Yeah?"

"I love you," Mark said.

Jack's heart pounded with joy and he found himself smiling. "I love you, too." He said.

"Would you come over here to L.A. for a bit?" Mark asked. "It's getting kind of boring with you all the way across the country and the Atlantic."

Jack laughed lightly. "Sure."

"How soon?" Mark asked, his voice and eyes hopeful.

They discussed the plans for the next hour.


	48. It's Better This Way

Luke woke up one morning with a hazy memory. He had trouble remembering what had happened the day before, and wasn't about to recall the memory.

What had happened yesterday was another one of his appointments. It was the beginning of August, and Luke's recovery was almost over. His casts had all been removed and several stitches were taken out as well. All that Luke still had that signaled he'd been in an accident at all was the special shoe he had to wear yet for his still-healing foot.

With a groan, Luke rolled over to the other side of the bed and looked at the digital clock on the bedside table.

12:07

"Damn it," Luke muttered with a heavy sigh. He'd missed Jonathan before he left for his therapy appointment earlier. "Well, I can still catch him when he comes home." Luke realized.

He got up and put on some proper clothing, making himself a quick so-called-lunch when he got downstairs to the kitchen. After he finished eating, Luke went into the recording room and started up his monitors. Only a few weeks earlier had he gotten himself officially moved in with Jonathan, and the two were happily living together. The fans had no idea that they were in a relationship, but some of the guys did. "Some" as in three. Bryce, Ryan, and Evan. Luke and Jonathan both knew that they were the ones who would be able to take it seriously and not go around spouting out the news over twitter or anything like that. Both Luke and Jonathan trusted those three the most with secrets like that.

Some time later, Luke heard the front door open and close, and he looked towards the doorway. Spike left the room, as he'd been lying by Luke's desk, and went to investigate. Luke paused the video he'd been watching and stood up. Quietly stepping towards the doorway, he looked down the hallway. He went to the living room and found Jonathan sitting on the couch with his head leaned back over the top of the cushion, eyes closed. Luke stood quietly for a minute or two, letting Jon have the peace and quiet he obviously needed after a slightly stressful therapy session. Then, he approached him.

"How was your morning?" Luke asked, placing his hands lightly on Jonathan's shoulders and massaging them gently.

"Lame," Jonathan answered, keeping his eyes closed.

"Is there any way I might be able to make your afternoon better?" Luke asked.

Jonathan opened his eyes and looked at Luke. "You want to make me feel better?" he said. "Then come around the side and sit with me."

Luke obliged, making sure to sit to Jonathan's right instead of his left. Even though Jonathan didn't have to wear the swing anymore, his left arm wasn't fully functional just yet. He could feel and move it again, just not as well as his right arm, and sudden movements would make it hurt. In other words; it was sensitive.

"When did you wake up?" Jonathan asked.

Spike hopped up onto the couch and lay down on Jonathan's left, placing his head on his lap. Jonathan lightly placed his left hand on his dog's head and started stroking it slowly.

"Not too long ago," Luke answered, putting an arm behind Jonathan's head. Jon let his head rest on it for a moment, before he turned it and looked directly at Luke. "What?" Luke asked.

"Nothing," Jonathan said, a smile forming. "Just looking at you and pretty eyes."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Why am I the pretty one?" he teased.

"Is that a bad thing to you?" Jonathan blinked slowly, his eyes remaining half closed.

"No," Luke said. "I was just thinking that the word would better describe you." He stated.

Jonathan looked away for a moment, trying to hide his slight embarrassment, but Luke put his hand under Jon's chin and turned his head back towards him. He placed a soft kiss on his lips and held it for a moment. When they parted, Jonathan slid himself closer to Luke, letting his upper half lean into Luke's side. Luke rested his head on Jonathan's and the two gradually dozed off.

* * *

When Jonathan woke up again several hours later, he found himself alone on the couch, a pillow slipped underneath his head and Spike asleep at his feet. After a moment, Jonathan detected a delicious smell in the air, coming from the kitchen. Pulling the blanket that had been laid over him away, Jonathan stood up and made his way for the kitchen where he found Luke preparing dinner.

"Afternoon, sleeping beauty," Luke said as soon as Jonathan walked into the kitchen.

"What time is it?" Jonathan asked.

"Almost seven, why?" Luke looked at Jon, pausing in his flipping of a meat patty.

"I slept that long?!" Jonathan gasped, suddenly panicked.

"Don't worry, Jon. I took care of things already," Luke explained quickly, going back to the food he was making.

Jonathan relaxed again. He was afraid that he'd missed his upload deadline. He had video rendered and ready to be posted, but for some reason, he hadn't queued it for the specific time. Well, it would appear that Luke had taken care of it already.

After dinner, Jonathan stayed up a little late, watching some of the videos on Mark's channel and Jack's channel as well. He came across one on Mark's channel that he wasn't aware had even been recorded. It was the Gmod Hide-N-Seek play session that they had done a couple days prior. Jonathan read through some of the comments on the video, mainly out of curiosity, and was a little startled to find that some people were really pleased that he'd gotten involved with Mark and the others.

"What is it with you and staying up late?"

Jonathan turned in the chair to look at Luke, who was in a change of clothes, and his hair looked wet.

"Why did the hell did you shave?" Jonathan asked, his brow furrowing at Luke's noticeably shorter beard.

Luke shrugged. "It had been a while, so I thought 'why not'," he said.

Jonathan rolled his eyes in slight amusement. He turned off his monitors and went with Luke back to the bedroom. He lay awake for a bit of time after Luke fell asleep, thinking about just how much had changed since the start of the summer. He lived alone with his dog as his only company, wondering when he might find that other person in his life. But now he had Luke living with him. The older man was just on the other side of the same bed, and Jonathan could easily admit that he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Several weeks passed, and soon it was September 21st. Luke was now 34, and it made him feel old. He was honestly a bit jealous of the fact that Jonathan was still 29 years old.

But today was also the day of Jonathan's final therapy session. Over the last two months, his arm got stronger and was just about fully functional now, almost as good as it had been before the incident way back in June. But, for the moment, there was an issue; Jonathan could be late for his appointment.

Luke was watching his boyfriend as he snoozed on the sofa in the living room. His left arm was resting on his stomach, while his right was at his side. His right leg was hanging over the edge of the cushion, and overall, Jon looked at peace. But Luke was about to disturb that peace. He placed his hands on the arm of the couch and looked down at Jonathan's sleeping face. Luke took one finger and started to tickle the end Jonathan's nose. It wrinkled at Luke's touch, and Luke found himself smiling at how adorable his boyfriend was in his sleep.

"Jonathan," Luke quietly sang. "Time to wake up. You'll be late for your appointment," he gently shook Jonathan's head, receiving a groan as a complaint in return.

"I don't wanna get up . . ." Jonathan mumbled.

"I will make you get up if I have to," Luke stated.

Jonathan heaved a heavy sigh and opened his eyes, glaring up at his lover momentarily. "Morning, Luke."

"Come on, time for you to get ready," Luke said, sliding his hands underneath Jonathan's back and pushing him up into a sitting position.

Jonathan reluctantly got ready to leave, and was actually lucky that he made it to his appointment in time. It went well, and Jonathan wanted to get home as soon as possible, but there was one more stop that he had to make. He stopped by GameStop to pick up Luke's birthday present before finally heading home. When he pulled back into the driveway, Luke's cat was watching him from the window. After getting out of the car, Jonathan stared back at her for a minute before heading inside.

"Here, catch," Jonathan told Luke once he found him in the bedroom. "Happy birthday, you fucker." He said, tossing the game to Luke.

Luke caught and looked at the cover, his eyes widening. "You didn't-!" he gasped, suddenly extremely excited. "Can we play it now?!" he half begged.

"I'll get things set up, unless you can do that before I get to the PlayStation," Jonathan said, stepping aside to let Luke run past him for the living room.

Once everything was set up, Luke started up the game and grabbed Jonathan a remote.

"Why don't we record this?" Jonathan suggested.

"I'm down for that," Luke agreed, impatient to start playing his gift. "Thanks so much, by the way, dude." he said a moment later.

"Sure thing, man."


	49. Start Of Something New

_I pushed Mark out of the way and almost immediately felt the cold metal close quickly and painfully on my leg. I fell forward and felt my leg be nearly torn in half, and let out an agonized scream of pain. The events all happened too fast. Mark was by my side, and so was Cartoonz, but The Trapper was quickly catching up. I saw that he was about to take a swing at Mark, but I pushed him out of the way and felt my side get sliced open. I let loose another wail. Just then, there was a yell and Delirious appeared, taking The Trapper's weapon and driving the blade through its chest._

 _I was losing strength, and fast. Obviously Mark could see that, as he and Cartoonz desperately tried to free me from the bear trap. I don't know how, but I was suddenly at the shed, the safepoint. Avery was there and she was trying to patch me up, but I refused it. I knew that it was too late to save me. I knew that I would die, even if Avery had patched me up._

 _"Jack . . . please don't go," I heard Mark say to me._

 _"Mark . . . I love you," I told him before my vision and hearing went all hazy. I never caught what Mark said next, but I felt the kiss he placed on my lips afterwards. It was the last thing I felt before everything faded._

* * *

Jack's eyes flew open and he remained still, startled. Blinking, he looked around and remembered where he was. He was on a plane, heading to America.

The last two months were almost torture for him, waiting to fully complete his recovery so that he wouldn't be disadvantaged while at Mark's place in L.A. during his visit. He was impatient to land in the states, and then L.A., and that was mostly because the only interactions that Jack had had with Mark were over Skype or the phone through calls and text messages. But now, he was finally going to be able to see Mark in person again after nearly three months. The flight was long, but he finally reached Pennsylvania, where he would catch a connecting flight to L.A.

Meanwhile, all the way in Jack's final destination, Mark was waiting boredly on his bedroom floor. He didn't know what he was waiting for exactly until his phone rang with a notification. Looking at the new message, Mark read that Jack had landed in the states and was just boarding his next flight.

Getting to his feet, Mark started going around the house and cleaning things up, getting them ready for when Jack finally got there. He couldn't wait to see him again in person, and was constantly glancing at the clock. Hours and hours later, near 8pm, Mark got the text from Jack.

 _S- Almost there. A few minutes until we land. Can't wait to see you. :)_

 _M- I'll be waiting._

Mark left the house, although he brought Chica with him to the airport. He found a spot to park and headed inside to find Jack. He finally spotted the familiar green hair and friendly face after a bit and jogged over to him. The two men met each other in a hug, which they held for a moment or two.

"Glad you made it," Mark said once they parted. "How was your flight?" He asked.

"Which one?" Jack asked, teasing slightly. "It was boring, mostly. Fell asleep on the first one, though." He cringed mentally at the thought of his terrible dream.

"Well, I doubt that your time here will be boring," Mark said.

"Let's hope it'll be tha' way," Jack chuffed. "I would hate ta have wasted a plane ticket."

Mark laughed before he and Jack finally left the airport.

* * *

The first night in L.A. was mostly quiet, with Jack sleeping alone in the guest bedroom. But when he woke up the next morning, he found Mark already awake, in the kitchen making breakfast.

"What are ya making?" He asked.

"What's it smell like?" Mark looked up at Jack for a split-second.

Jack sniffed the air a little. "Bacon and eggs," he said.

After eating, Jack offered to clean up the dishes and the kitchen, which Mark allowed.

"Just don't break anything," he said before leaving the room.

Jack rolled his eyes behind Mark's back, but he found amusement in his words. He finished up with the dishes before going to clean off the counters, and once he was finished, he went looking for Mark. He found him at his computer, and it looked like he was setting something up, possibly for later. An idea suddenly came to Jack's mind, and he decided to go through with it and snuck off for another part of the house.

Mark never noticed Jack's short presence in his doorway, and continued with setting up the game he hoped to play with Jack later. When he finally decided to take a break, he started looking for Jack, but couldn't find him anywhere.

"Jack?" Mark called out, looking around. He found Chica by the back door, where she seemed interested in something outside. "Are you out here, Jack?" Mark called as he opened the back door.

"Maybe." A voice replied.

Mark turned in the direction of Jack's voice, but didn't see him. And then, out of nowhere, someone pushed him into the pool. Swimming to the surface, Mark took a much needed gasp of air, as he hadn't had the chance to take a breath before hitting the water. He looked over and saw Jack laughing at him. Mark narrowed his eyes at the Irish man.

"What's so funny?!" He demanded, with a hint of amusement.

"I totally got ya, Mark!" Jack managed between laughs. His laughter was cut off when Mark splashed him with water. "What the hell was that for?!" Jack gasped.

"Revenge, I guess," Mark answered. "Probably not much, but it worked! I got you to stop laughing at me!"

Jack giggled again before taking a step or two back and then racing forward, launching himself into the clear water with to join Mark. Mark turned away to avoid getting splashed in the face, but then he went to face Jack again.

"You know that you could catch a cold, right?" Mark warned. "It's the middle of Autumn after all."

"I don't care," Jack said, shrugging in the water. He started swimming backward, but was then bombarded by water when Mark sent a spray of it at him. "Yer so gonna get it!"

For several minutes, Mark and Jack messed around in the pool, but then they stopped trying to drown each other and hung on to the edge nearest the back door.

"This was probably a bad idea," Jack said, flicking water from his wet, green hair.

"You're the one who pushed me into the water in the first place," Mark reminded him.

"I-" Jack tried to come up with some kind of retort, but none came to mind, so he closed his mouth again.

"Hey, we've gotta meet a couple of the guys later," Mark said suddenly. "I had something set up for us to do with them together."

"Sounds good," Jack nodded. "But then we'll have to get out of the pool."

"We've got a few hours, Jack. We'll be fine," Mark said. "Let's go take showers to get the chlorine out."

Jack nodded again and followed Mark out of the pool and inside the house once more. Mark let Jack take the first shower, and although he protested at first, he eventually realized that taking the first shower was better than waiting for some time before getting the pool water out of his hair and off his body. And apparently Mark took ages to get clean. Which was half true, because an hour after entering the bathroom, he finally came out.

"Just what were you doing in there?" Jack asked, since most of the hour that Mark had been in the bathroom was rather quiet, with the shower turned off. "Or do I want to even know?"

Mark merely shook his head. Jack didn't ask anymore. Not long after that, the two men left for . . . Jack actually didn't know where they were going. Mark seemed to be in charge of the destinations. As it turned out, they went over to Ryan's house, where J-Fred and Matt were already waiting.

"Please tell me they already know I'm here?" Jack looked over at Mark as he began to climb out of the driver's seat.

"Yes, I told them you'd be here, Jack," Mark assured, his voice hinted with laughter.

Jack hesitated to get out of the car for a moment at first, but he eventually got out and followed Mark up to the front door. Mark gave a knock, and J-Fred was the one who answered the door.

"Great! You guys made it!" He exclaimed happily.

"Hi, Jack! Hey, Mark!" Ryan's voice filtered out from inside the house.

Jack followed Mark inside, unable to figure out why he felt so nervous about being here.

"What's the plan?" Mark asked.

"Come to the backyard," Ryan said simply, leading Mark, Jack, and the others to the back of his house and outside.

"Holy shite!" Jack gasped when he saw the large bouncy-house obstacle course.

"Here's the catch," Ryan began. "We have to do it all blindfolded."

* * *

After Ryan explained the rules to everyone, Jack was trying to mentally prepare himself for the challenge. He watched as J-Fred, Matt, and Ryan made fools of themselves, and then Mark went. He managed to get through most of it, but then when he came to the exit, there were complications.

"Where's the opening?!" Mark exclaimed as he felt his hands over the wall.

"It's right in front of you," Matt said, giggling uncontrollably.

"Where's _in front of me?!_ " Mark demanded. "Oh." He said when he finally found it. "I bet that was so bad," Mark laughed as he removed the blindfold after climbing out onto the grass.

Ryan took the blindfold and GoPro from Mark and brought the items over to the laptop he'd brought outside. After transferring the footage to the computer, the blindfold and GoPro were attached to Jack's head and he was guided over to the Bouncy-House obstacle course entrance.

"This feels weird," Jack said as he felt the others moving him in his total blindness. Jack's hands were placed on the the entrance opening.

"Your timing starts . . . now!" J-Fred started the stopwatch.

Jack launched himself into the abyss in front of him and immediately felt disoriented from his unsolid surrounds. He charged through and into several air-filled pillars, almost crashed face first into a slanted ladder, flipped over to the other side of the small slide, and then had trouble getting to his feet and figuring out which way he was supposed to go. He shoved himself through a small tunnel and over the top of a bump, and then finally rolled out onto the ground at the end of the course.

"Time!" J-Fred shouted. "Whoa, Jack! You got the best one!" He exclaimed.

Jack removed the blindfold, "That's because I'm awesome." he claimed.

"Nah, I disagree," Ryan said, making the small group laugh a little, especially at the glare that Jack gave him.

Jack's part was added to the uploaded footage, and once everything was back inside, the guys went out for lunch at a diner in town. For some time, Jack was just slightly puzzled by the fact that neither J-Fred, Matt, or Ryan had anything to say or any kind of reaction to his limping, but then one look at Mark told him that they had already been made aware. Jack made a note to himself to thank him for that later.

After lunch, Mark and Jack parted with the guys, although it seemed more like they half ditched them, and went back to Mark's house. For several hours they played a few different games, including Mortal Kombat, GTA 5, and some kind of driving simulator. A while later, they got bored and threw in a movie. Mark let Jack pick it out, and didn't really complain when he put in Terminator.

For dinner, Mark ordered a few pizzas, which they ate during the movie. Jack somehow downed seven slices before he finally grew full.

"Thanks for telling the guys about it, by the way," Jack said, remembering what he'd told himself to do at the diner. "I was just a little nervous about what they would say about my leg."

"Sure thing," Mark said. "What are friends for?"

Halfway through the movie, Jack ended up falling asleep, and on Mark's shoulder no less. Mark didn't notice that the Irishman had dozed off until after the movie ended. Not wanting to wake him up, Mark turned everything off by using the remote. Jack was just about out cold, and he looked too peaceful.

With a sigh, Mark turned his head placed a small kiss on Jack's head before shutting his eyes to fall asleep himself.

* * *

When Jack woke up the next morning, he woke up on the couch. He woke up on the couch in Mark's living room, with Mark next to him as well as partly on him. Jack felt his heart flutter at the sensation of Mark resting his head on his own, and the slight shift of his green hair when Mark exhaled gently into it.

Careful not to cause Mark to wake up, Jack slowly managed to slip out from underneath him and stood up from the couch with a large yawn and much needed stretch. After using the bathroom, Jack headed into the guest bedroom and opened up the laptop that he'd brought along with him. He brought up the saved footage from the game that he and Mark had both played, the same one that Mark had gotten set up earlier in the day, before they left for Ryan's.

Once he was finished with the quick editing, Jack uploaded it to his channel and then started messing around on one of his lame computer games for a while. He didn't know how much time had passed until someone suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Holy shite!" Jack exclaimed, leaping from the desk chair and flying against the wall on the opposite side of the room. What he saw was Mark in the doorway, laughing hysterically with his face scrunched up. "What the fook was that for?!" Jack demanded.

"You should've seen your face!" Mark managed between weak breaths

Jack huffed in annoyance, but then he suddenly found himself giggling a little as well. Mark was ridiculous, but he was worth living with.


	50. Septiplier In Secret

The week that Jack had to stay in L.A. passed way faster than he would have like. It was now the second-to-last day that he was staying with Mark, and he wanted to make his last two days really worth it. Jack had been wanting to kiss Mark since the moment they met up at the airport, and so far, the two of them hadn't yet connected in that way.

The morning of that second-to-last day, Jack was awake before Mark, so he thought that he would go and take a short walk around the area.

When Mark woke up later to find Jack gone, he was confused. Without actually thinking it over, Mark went back to his bedroom after searching the house quickly to grab his phone and quickly dialed Jack's number.

"Yeah?" came Jack's voice when he picked up.

"Jack? Where are you?" Mark asked

"Meh, went for a walk," Jack answered. "I'm jus goin around a small area and might be heading back soon."

"All right. Then I guess I'll see you whenever you return," Mark said.

"Yeah, see ya then," Jack replied before the phone call was ended.

Now that Mark knew where Jack was, he started thinking about what to do next. He went to go mess around on his computer for a bit before he noticed who was all on Skype. Thinking for a moment, Mark decided to call to see if they could set up some plans for later.

"Sup, Mark," Jonathan said when he answered. "How's it going?"

"Fine," Mark replied. "Look, I was wondering if we might be able to have a session later?"

"Yeah, sure. Luke and I have got nothing to do all day, so I'm sure that he would like to do that instead of sitting on his ass for hours on end," Jonathan said.

"There's a new game that come out. I don't know if you or Luke have heard about it or played it yet, but Jack and I have played a bit of it already," Mark said. "He posted a video of some of the gameplay earlier in the week." He explained.

Jonathan went quiet as he thought back to recent YouTube activity. "Oh, you mean that Driving Simulator game?" He asked.

"Yeah, that's the one," Mark confirmed.

"Sweet. Luke should enjoy that," Jonathan stated, with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh, does it have something to do with what happened?" Mark asked, just a little concerned.

"Nah, Luke is just bad at those types of games," Jonathan explained with a dismissive tone. "He doesn't mind playing them, though. Even after the accident."

"Oh, okay," Mark glanced at his phone. It was then that he heard his front door open and realized that Jack had finally returned. "Sounds like Jack is back from his walk."

"I'll get everything set up," Jonathan said. "It'll be the first time me and Luke will be playing this game. Should be fun."

They Skype call ended and Mark went downstairs to find Jack in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water. He looked up when Mark entered the room and set the glass down.

"Hey, sorry I ditched ya for a bit," Jack said, referring to him leaving suddenly and taking a walk.

"No, that's fine," Mark waved a hand dismissively. "Hey, how do you feel about playing that car game again? Only with Jonathan and Luke along for the ride?" He asked.

"Did you just make a joke?" Jack looked at Mark with uncertain disbelief.

"What?" Mark sounded and looked confused.

"You said 'along for the ride' while you were talking about the game," Jack pointed out.

Mark tilted his head for a moment before he realized what Jack was saying. "Oh! No, I wasn't purposefully making a joke," he said.

"Okay, good, because it was really bad," Jack stated.

"Are you saying I'm not funny?!" Mark gasped, faking an offended expression.

"You just said that you hadn't made the joke on purpose!" Jack exclaimed.

There was a silence between the two, before Mark laughed suddenly, ending the argument before it got out of hand. Jack stared at him.

"When do we start playing?" He asked after Mark stopped laughing finally.

"We can start right now," Mark answered.

Jack finished his water while Mark got the game set up for them, and then they got the split screen going on the large TV after joining Jonathan and Luke their game.

"Fuck you, dude!" was the first thing either of them heard come out of their headsets from Luke's mouth.

"It's not my fault! I swear!" Jonathan yelled.

"Everything okay over there?" Jack asked out of concern and confusion.

"Everything's fi-" Jonathan began.

"Delirious is being a little bitch!" Luke interrupted loudly.

"I told you it wasn't my fault!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Yes it was!" Luke argued. "You drove into me and knocked me off the bridge!"

Mark and Jack looked at each other for a moment before they started laughing and listened to Luke's frustration. They played for several hours, driving around and just messing around with the game all together. They did a race for a while, before switching out to another set of car jousting. They did this for most of the day, until it got really late and Luke and Jonathan bailed out after saying their goodbyes. Mark and Jack had a quick dinner before tiredly heading to bed.

* * *

 _I found myself back in the dark forest with The Trapper right behind us. I recognized the moment we were in and looked for the bear trap and spotted it in the tall grass. But I wasn't able to get to it in time and the metal instead closed around Mark's leg, causing him to scream in pain as he fell forward. I tried to cry out, but something pulled me aside and I saw a splash of blood. The events were to fast and I was watching as Mark was cut into by The Trapper's blade before Delirious used it against the thing and killed it. Then we were suddenly back at the shed with Mark dying on the floor. I was crying over him . . ._

* * *

Jack's eyes flew open when he felt someone shaking him rather violently.

"Jack!" Mark's voice filled his ears and Jack picked up on his worried tone.

"Wha?!" Jack sat up quickly and looked at Mark with wide eyes.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked. "I heard you crying from my bedroom."

Jack blinked, and it was then that he realized his eyes were wet with tears. He'd been crying in his sleep from the dream.

"I- . . ." Jack began, but he stopped himself quickly. "Sorry." He said a few seconds later.

"What's wrong?" Mark asked simply, holding his hands on Jack's shoulders.

"It . . . It was a bad dream," Jack answered quietly.

Mark sat on the bed next to Jack and wiped away his tears using his hand. "Tell me about it," he said softly.

"It was back in the game . . . when I died. Only it was you that was caught in the trap. You that was killed . . . instead of me," Jack explained, looking into Mark's eyes with a shaky sigh.

Mark moved closer to Jack and put his arms around him. Jack leaned into him and the two of them sat there like that for a while. After Jack fell asleep again, Mark gently lay his head down on the pillow and covered him up again. He was about to go back to his own bedroom, but one last look at Jack's sleeping face told him otherwise.

Mark moved over to the other side of the bed and slipped under the covers. He gazed at Jack's sleeping face, reveling in the beauty of it. He lay like that for several minutes before he finally let sleep come to him once more.

* * *

When Jack woke up the next morning, he woke up with a feeling that he hadn't had for a long time; not since Signe left. It was the feeling of someone holding him while they slept. Jack knew that it was Mark who was sharing the bed with him, and he remained still under the covers. He waited for some time, listening to Mark's gentle breathing as he slept on. It was quiet in the bedroom, and Jack found the slight quiet rather peaceful. He could hear a few birds chirping outside the window, which was a little startling considering how late in the year it was.

Mark suddenly moved, and Jack risked turning over. He was suddenly looking into Mark's deep brown, tired eyes, and felt a smile split his face.

"Morning, sleepy head," Jack purred. "Sleep well?"

"I should be asking _you_ that," Mark started, making Jack chuckle lightly. "But I did, thanks."

The two men remained like that for another five minutes, before Chica started barking downstairs and forced Mark to get up and out of bed. Jack sat up and stretched, letting a large yawn out as he did. He followed Mark down the hall and turned into the bathroom, but before he closed the door he called after him.

"What do you plan on making for breakfast?"

"I'll surprise you," Mark replied.

"Imma take a shower first," Jack said before finally closing the door.

Mark filled Chica's dog bowl when he got to the kitchen, and he then went to the cupboard under the sink and pulled out the cereal box that he'd hidden from Jack. With it being Jack's last day, Mark wanted to give him a special breakfast. So, he'd gone out to the store not long before Jack arrived at the airport and bought two family sized _Lucky Charms_ boxes; one of regular and the other of chocolate. He was planning to mix the two together, but then Mark thought that he should ask about it first. Just one problem; Jack was in the shower.

Mark thought for a minute or two before he finally came up with an idea. Grabbing a pen and paper, he wrote out a quick message before taking it and the two cereal boxes upstairs where he positioned them in front of the bathroom door. Mark taped the not between the boxes before he went back downstairs to wait for Jack's reaction. He faintly heard the bathroom door open some time later, and then there was a pause. A pause that lasted a little too long.

Confused, Mark went back upstairs to find the cereal boxes gone, but the note was left on the floor. He found Jack hiding behind the bed in the guest bedroom.

"Mine!" Jack immediately growled when he saw Mark. "Yer not gettin' these back, ya know that, right?"

"I don't care," Mark said, trying to hold back a laugh. "Why don't you bring those downstairs so that you can eat your breakfast with milk or whatever?"

Jack narrowed his eyes, but he picked up the cereal and followed Mark downstairs. Over breakfast, they talked about what they had done that week, and then Jack asked if there was a park nearby that they might be able to go to. Mark said there was, and that they could go with Chica later. That was a mistake.

* * *

Once at the park, Mark gave Jack Chica's leash and they started walking around for a bit. It had rained a little last night, so it was a bit muddy, which came as a disadvantage when Chica suddenly lurched forward and took off running after a squirrel, pulling Jack with her. He was pulled right off his feet and fell into a mud puddle.

"Chica!" Mark called after his dog, running after her.

Jack started getting back to his feet when he heard someone approach him from behind.

"Hey, are you okay?" they asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks," Jack turned to face them.

The sudden excitement and shock that spread over their face startled Jack momentarily. As it turned out, they were a fan and Jack ended up striking a conversation with them for quite a bit of time. Mark finally returned with Chica, and he joined in on the conversation.

The walk in the park soon turned into a fan meet-n-greet, but Jack didn't particularly mind. An hour or two later, however, he was ready to head back to Mark's place. After goodbyes were exchanged, Mark and Jack head back home.

"I'm going to get cleaned up," Jack said once back at Mark's place. "Chica definitely did a number on me."

Jack head up to the bathroom and took his shirt off before wetting a washcloth to clean his face with.

While Jack was in the bathroom, Mark checked some things quick before he left the house. There was something he needed to take care of.

When Jack had finished cleaning up and changed into a fresh set of clothes, he looked around for Mark, and was rather puzzled when he didn't find him anywhere in or outside the house. Mark's car was gone as well, which meant he'd gone somewhere. Jack pulled out his phone and dialed Mark's number, but sighed with disappointment when Mark's phone started ringing from on the counter behind him. Mark had left his phone behind, so Jack didn't really have any way of contacting him.

At first, Jack didn't freak out, because he knew that wherever Mark had gone, he would return eventually. So, Jack went into the living room and flipped on the TV and ended up watching some reruns of _The Walking Dead_. He changed the channel at one point, and that was when he realized that nearly five hours had passed. Now aware of the time once more, Jack was a little nervous; Mark hadn't come back yet, and it was becoming a bit concerning.

The hours continued to pass, and Jack's worry began to grow rapidly as there was still no sign of Mark anywhere. It was nearing eleven and Jack was just about on the brink of panicking when a car finally pulled into the driveway again. Outside, Mark turned off the car with a frustrated huff. The traffic had gotten really bad for some reason, and he stuck in it for several hours, but now he was finally back home. He'd left his phone here, so he could only imagine that after eight hours being alone, Jack was frantic. That's what he was when he opened the door.

"I am so sorry," Mark said immediately when he saw Jack. "Traffic jams aren't exactly in my control, but I tried to get back sooner-" Mark was cut off when Jack was suddenly hugging him tightly. "Jack?"

"I was afraid that something had happened to you," Jack said quietly, his voice shaking slightly. "I was actually scared that I might not see you come back . . . I don't want to lose you again, Mark," he breathed. "I can't."

Jack released Mark and stepped back. He held his arm awkwardly and glanced away to the wall.

Mark pulled him closer, though. "You don't need to worry about losing me, Jack. I love you, and nothing will change that."

Jack smiled in relief and was immediately calm again when he felt Mark press their lips together in the long awaited kiss. It was passionate and gentle, and Jack felt a sudden longing for more. He parted his lips a little, and Mark seemed to read his mind and the two were suddenly making out on the spot. Mark pressed Jack against the wall and slowly moved down to his neck, pecking at the soft skin. His hands found their way underneath Jack shirt and sent a shiver up the other man's spine.

Jack was letting Mark take control of the situation, but that was perfectly fine. He held his arms around Mark's neck, and felt another chill when Mark started pulling his shirt up over his shoulders. Somehow, Mark and Jack found their way to Mark's bedroom where they continued on Mark's bed. Jack's face grew hot as Mark's hands found their way to his waist.

Mark had lost his own shirt somewhere up the stairs, and now both he and Jack lost sight of all their clothes as the night went on; the night that just made their relationship official.

* * *

It was quiet in the car as they drove towards the airport. Jack was anticipating going home to Ireland, but at the same time he dreaded also. By leaving L.A., Jack would also be leaving Mark. He didn't want to leave Mark.

Mark didn't want Jack to leave, either. If anything, he wanted him to stay forever. Last night had only secured that thought.

When they got to the airport, both men were waiting for the other to say something. The silence between them had grown uncomfortable, and it was only when they reached Jack's gate that it was finally broken.

"Mark, hold on," Jack said.

Mark stopped and looked back at him. "You don't want to leave, do you?" He guessed.

"No," Jack sighed, shaking his head. "Especially after last night."

Mark smiled at Jack's words, which startled the Irishman a little.

"Something wrong, Mark?" Jack asked, confused by Mark's grin.

"No, just that you don't have to worry about choosing to stay here with me or going home alone," Mark explained, unclearly.

"What?" Jack was more confused.

Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out a plane ticket. "When I was gone for a while yesterday, I was getting myself a spot on the plane next to you."

"Oh my god, Mark. Are you serious?!" Jack gasped, getting excited.

"Yep, I'm seriously going with you back home. I got everything for Chica and all of that other stuff taken care of," Mark explained.

"How long are you staying?" Jack asked, smiling widely.

Mark shrugged. "As long as I can."


	51. I'd Rather Have You

Jonathan's eyes flew open and he lay panting in bed. His forehead was wet with sweat, and he could feel his heart pounding in his ears. He remained still, allowing his beating heart to slow to an even pace again before sitting up slowly. Jonathan pressed the heel of his palm against his eyes before getting out of bed and throwing a shirt on. He went into the bathroom and splashed cold water in his face, hopefully to clear his mind and get rid of the nightmare he'd just had. But Jonathan wound up thinking about it a little more, and it put a sudden thought through his head.

Looking behind him at the closed bathroom door, Jonathan wondered fearfully where Luke had gone. He'd woken up in the bed alone, which meant that his boyfriend was already awake. But was he home or had Luke gone out? With a sigh, Jonathan turned off the bathroom light and left the small room, heading down the stairs. He looked around for a bit before finding Luke in the living room, playing one of their games.

"Morning," Luke said without as much as a glance behind him over the couch. "Sleep well?" He asked.

"Depends on what you mean," Jonathan said, moving into the kitchen.

There was shuffling from the living room, signifying that Luke had paused his game and stood up. A few seconds later he appeared in the kitchen with Jon.

"Something wrong, Jon?" He asked.

Jonathan sighed.

"Do you need a distraction from whatever's bothering you? Or do you want to talk about it?" Luke asked.

"Might as well talk about it, since you obviously won't shut up about it unless I tell you," Jonathan grumbled.

"Hey, I'm not saying you have to if you don't want to," Luke said quickly. "I just don't want you putting it off for too long." He explained.

Jonathan thought about this for a moment. He considered the events of his dream and decided it would be better to take the option for a distraction. So Luke went back to the living room to get the multiplayer set up in his game. Jonathan made himself a quick piece of toast before joining Luke in the living room. The older man handed him a remote, and then the two of them started going at it.

Luke happened to be recording the gameplay, so it got quite chaotic when Jonathan joined in. Now that Jonathan had a basic distraction, any thoughts about the dream he'd had last night gradually faded away, and he went back to his normal behavior over the course of the day. It was the next day that Luke became concerned.

Jonathan was acting like nothing had ever even happened the other night.

Luke wasn't saying anything, but if he knew Jon -especially the way he did- then he knew that Jonathan had found some way to avoid the problem entirely; by pushing it way down. It had happened before; with Jon's sister. Luke thought back to that one moment while in _Dead By Daylight_ when Jonathan seemed to be having similar thought to the ones he'd had after the accident.

It had occurred some time before Jonathan and Luke met, but he understood well enough that none of it had been good. Jonathan had fallen into a kind of depression, thinking everything was his fault. Luke didn't exactly blame him for having thought that way. But it was still an accident. Jonathan hadn't meant for it to get out of control. The fire had become uncontainable, causing Jonathan's sister to have those severe burns . . .

Luke sighed as he attempted to push aside the thoughts about what had happened. He tried not to let the worst thoughts get to him. Jonathan would be fine . . . Right?

* * *

Jonathan awoke late that night shaking all over. The same terrible dream had played through his mind, but it had been worse this time. It had been so bad, that a new thought suddenly found its way to the front of Jonathan's mind and planted itself there to haunt him. Slowly, Jonathan sat up and looked over to the other side of the bed where Luke still lay asleep.

 _You wouldn't leave, would you?_ He wondered, thinking about his nightmare. _No, not after everything that's happened._

Jonathan looked down at the bed sheets and thought. Luke loved him, and that was that. But for some reason . . . Jonathan felt unsure.

* * *

Several days passed, and then several weeks. Before Luke could wrap his head around it, it was January. Jonathan seemed continually bothered by whatever thoughts ran through his head, and Luke was constantly bothered by the fact that Jon wouldn't speak to him about it. What really bothered Luke the most, though, was the fact that Jonathan was clearly growing uncomfortable. He could tell by the way the younger man looked at him.

By the middle of January, Luke had just about had enough. He was finally going to talk to Jonathan about it. Hopefully it wasn't too late to do so.

Luke was worried, but Jonathan, however, felt like he was dying inside. He wanted to talk to Luke about the problem, but it was such a sensitive subject. He couldn't understand why he felt the way he did. After all, Luke was the reason that they had a relationship in the first place.

It was late one Saturday night that the much needed conversation would bring the two together.

Luke was in the bedroom, looking at a few messages from some of the guys on his phone. The room, as well as just about the rest of the house, was quiet. Strangely quiet. It was so quiet that it got to the point where Luke thought that Jonathan had fallen asleep downstairs while playing GTA 5 with the guys. But how do you fall asleep while playing GTA? It's GTA!

With a sigh, Luke continued scrolling through the messages on his phone. He stopped when one of them, sent by Evan, caught his attention.

 _E- Delirious okay? He's been away from the xbox for a while._

The message left Luke a bit confused, but a little concerned as well. He looked out into the hallway, where everything was still.

 _L- I'll go check._

 _E- Okay._

Luke stood up and set his phone aside before heading downstairs to the living room. He found it empty, with Jonathan nowhere to be seen. The TV was still turned on, although it had gone kind of dark due to inactivity on the xbox. Looking around, Luke saw no sign of his boyfriend, but he did notice a slight draft coming from behind him. Turning around, Luke found the source of the breeze, and was little puzzled by the open backdoor. It was a sliding door, so it wasn't too much of a surprise. Going over to it, Luke found the screen door was closed, but he also found that Jonathan was outside on the porch with Spike.

"Jon?" Luke stated his presence.

Jonathan didn't say anything nor did he turn around to look behind him. Opening the screen door, Luke stepped outside and approached Jonathan slowly. Spike turned to look at him, but Jonathan remained unmoving. Luke lowered himself onto the porch step and sat next to the quiet and unmoving Jonathan.

"Do you want to talk about it, now?" Luke asked.

Jonathan sighed. "I don't know where to start." He said.

"Maybe you could start by stating the problem," Luke suggested.

"Am I supposed to give it to you in hypothesis form?" Jonathan looked at Luke with a small glint of amusement in his eyes.

"If you can," Luke responded, getting a light laugh out of Jonathan in return.

"Well, I can only guess that you're thinking that _if_ I tell you what's bothering me, _then_ I might feel better _because_ it won't be a problem anymore." Jonathan stated, causing Luke to laugh.

It fell quiet again, and the two men sat in the silence for a few minutes. Being the middle of January, it was normal to have cold temperatures at night, but tonight was abnormally cold. The rain that North Carolina was supposed to get had frozen, leaving a light blanket of snow, which they very rarely ever got, on the ground. At least Jonathan had had the sense to grab his sweater before coming out here, unlike Luke, who was already freezing his ass off.

"I don't know, Luke. I just . . ." Jonathan trailed off, getting lost in his thoughts again. "I've been worried." He said finally.

"About what?" Luke asked.

"About you," Jonathan answered, startling and confusing Luke. "I don't know why, though."

"You've been worried about me? Well, I've been really worried about you, man. You've been acting . . ." Luke thought up a word. "Strange, I guess. For lack of a better fucking word." He huffed.

"I don't know why I am," Jonathan began again. "I just . . . I'm afraid of you leaving."

Luke blinked. "Leaving?" He repeated. "Like, leaving how? What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean I'm afraid of you leaving me," Jonathan explained. "It sounds ridiculous, I know. But ever since getting out of Dead By daylight I've had a lingering thought. It only got worse after the nightmares started."

"What nightmares?" Luke prompted, alarmed.

"Well, to sum it up in a few words; I had a couple of dreams where we got out of the game, but you . . ." Jonathan shut his eyes and let out a shaky breath.

Luke suddenly understood what Jonathan meant; he was afraid of letting him go.

"Hey, don't worry, Jon," Luke said softly, moving closer to Jonathan. "I'm not going to leave you, okay?" He stated.

Jonathan looked up at him with wet eyes. He looked away again a moment later, but leaned into Luke, who put an arm around him.

"I won't leave you even if life forces it on us, and that's a fact," Luke whispered, placing a gentle kiss on Jonathan's forehead. He didn't see it, but Jonathan smiled at his words. "Let's get the fuck inside now, okay? I'm freezing my ass off out here." Luke grumbled.

Jonathan laughed. "Okay."


	52. The Year 2020

_**Hey, here is the last chapter for this story at long last! I really hope that you guys enjoyed it, as I enjoyed writing it. I especially love reading all of your comments and reactions to certain events that occurred, and it really fills me up with joy to know that my readers really like what I write. Thanks for all of your support throughout the story, and to include the many more that I will be writing. Thank you for being the fans you are.**_

* * *

"No! Fuck you!" Jonathan screamed into his microphone.

"Come back here, Delirious!" Marcel shouted in reply.

"I see him! I'll back you up," Mark said.

"NO!" Jonathan protested, stopping just short of Mark's character.

They were playing GTA V, and everybody was kind of trying to kill Delirious. Well, almost everybody.

"What the hell?!" Marcel exclaimed when his character was sniped suddenly. "Cartoonz just fucking sniped me!"

"Ha ha, that's what you get!" Jonathan laughed.

"Where are you guys?!" Jack demanded for what was probably the hundredth time.

"Well, if you stop dying, you would know," Mark teased.

"Wow, that's real helpful of ya, Mark. Thanks," Jack said dully and sarcastically.

Mark just laughed.

"AH SHIT!" Jonathan yelled suddenly.

At the bottom of the screen, the tab reading "Jacksepticeye exploded H2O Delirous" appeared.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! HOW DID YOU GET ME FROM THAT FAR AWAY?!" Jonathan fumed loudly, sounding on the edge of rage.

"Calm down, dear Delirious," Luke said.

"I will find you Jack, and then I will fuck you up," Jonathan growled.

"Hey! Nobody fucks up Jack except for me!" Mark argued.

"What are you guys talking about?" Evan laughed in the background.

"A bunch of gay shit, that's what," Marcel said.

Evan laughed again. They continued playing GTA for another couple of hours, before Marcel and Evan finally had to log off.

"You coming to PAX this weekend?" Jonathan asked Mark and Jack almost immediately.

"Yeah, we plan to," Mark said. "Might even bring Avery with us this time, too." He added.

"You sure? She's a little young for a convention, if you ask me," Luke put in.

"She's five," Mark pointed out.

"Which is fucking young, dude! I wouldn't bring _my_ kid to a convention at that age," Luke stated.

"Well, you don't have kids," Jack pointed out.

"Not yet," Jonathan stated.

"Oh, so there's a plan to?" Mark asked.

"We've thought about it," Luke confirmed. "But we know that we're going to wait until _after_ the wedding to get onto that type of thing."

"I still can't believe how well people took to the news about your relationship, though. It seemed a lot better than how people reacted to the whole 'Septiplier confirmed' deal," Jack said.

"Well, Mark _did_ propose to you right in front of an auditorium full of over a thousand people which we can't forget _was_ the reveal for your relationship," Jonathan reminded.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Mark waved off. "It was dramatic effect." He insisted.

"Sure it was," Luke teased.

Mark glared at Luke through the computer. He then rolled his eyes and stretched. "Welp, Imma shut down." He said, before closing out of the Skype call.

"Wow, he leaves without any other word. That's very typical of Mark," Luke joked, grumbling.

"That's my husband," Jack said, at a loss for anything else to say. "Well, I guess we'll see you two at PAX then?" He asked.

"Yeah, you'll see us," Jonathan nodded. "Maybe even on the first day, if we don't miss our flight." He looked away from the computer screen and obviously across the room where Luke was sitting.

"Hey! Last time was _not_ my fault, okay?!" Luke exclaimed.

Jonathan laughed at his fiancé.

"Well, whenever you get there, Mark and I will definitely be the first ta find ya," Jack laughed lightly.

"Look forward to it," Jon said.

Jonathan, Jack, and Luke then shared their goodbyes and went to get the rest they needed before having to leave for PAX. Several years had passed since the _Dead By Daylight_ incident, and in that time, Mark and Jack had gotten married and adopted their daughter, who they had respectfully named Avery. Jonathan and Luke had also gotten engaged, and were due to marry in two months. Their relationship was revealed alongside Jonathan's face, so there was a bit for fans to take in.

But with the time that passed, Mark, Jack, Luke, and Jonathan, never told their friends about what happened. But it was because they never had to. They were no longer in a living nightmare. With the lives they now lived, it was more like a waking dream.


End file.
